From the fake emperor to the concubine

At that critical moment, when death was about to strike!
boom!
An incredibly tall figure, like an iron tower, carrying an aura as heavy as a mountain, suddenly appeared between him and his target without warning, moving faster than the eye could perceive, as if teleported out of thin air.

It was Zhuo Liqun!
Caught off guard, the gray-clad assassin's pupils suddenly contracted to pinpoints, all his calculations and disguises were completely disrupted by this sudden and drastic change.

The momentum of the body rushing forward, combined with the full force of the thrusting motion, left no time to stop or change direction.

With a sharp, piercing "clang," the metal clashed.

His poisoned black dagger pierced solidly and without any frills into the ancient armor covering Zhuo Liqun's chest, which was covered with thick black iron scales!
There was no dull thud of a blade piercing flesh.

On the dull, lifeless armor plates, only a tiny, almost invisible white dot, smaller than a grain of rice, remained.

The assassin's obviously extraordinary black dagger struck as if it had crashed into a mountain wall forged from millennia-old black iron.

An overwhelming and terrifying force of recoil surged back violently along the dagger!

Click!

With a teeth-grinding crack, the sturdy dagger could not withstand the immense force and snapped in two. The broken blade, shimmering with a ghostly blue poisonous light, bounced high into the air, tracing a dangerous arc as it flew diagonally away.

The broken shard of the dagger, carrying a ghostly blue poisonous light, spun rapidly like an enraged venomous bee, shooting straight toward the face of a young cultivator who was peeking out to watch the commotion!

The sound of something cutting through the air was shrill and ear-piercing!
The unexpected rebound was not an attack specifically targeting the monk by the assassin.

The speed and force of the rebound are not impressive to a true expert; the trajectory is clearly discernible.

The young cultivator was clearly no ordinary person. With a casual flick of his finger, a wisp of pale blue spiritual energy gathered at his fingertip, and with the precision of flicking away a fly, he sent the poisoned dagger fragment flying. The fragment embedded itself deeply into a tree trunk not far away, making a dull thud.

The somber atmosphere around the well suddenly froze.

In fact, many people, especially those calm and experienced cultivators, had already identified the assassin. However, just now, at a crucial moment when the Zheng family was revealing its strength and people's hearts were in turmoil, they did not want to cause any unnecessary trouble, so they chose to watch from the sidelines.

Seeing that Zhuo Liqun and Zhang Yunfan had so decisively stepped forward and subdued the assassin in an instant, all the onlookers, like a flock of startled birds, retreated far away in unison.

A huge, vacuum-like circular area was left around the assassin and Zhuo Zhuo Zhang.

The process of dispersing was like someone throwing a huge rock into a calm lake; invisible ripples spread rapidly from the three people in the center, pushing away the crowded people layer by layer.

The gray-clad assassin, seeing that his meticulously planned ambush had been easily seen through and thwarted, knew that all was lost.

A look of panic flashed in his eyes, and he instinctively tried to escape in the chaos. He lowered his body, pushed off with his feet, and turned around like a startled cat, rushing towards a less crowded area.

But he had only turned his head halfway when his gaze met a pair of eyes that held a playful smile.

Zhang Yunfan, unnoticed, silently blocked what he considered the most convenient escape route. He casually crossed his arms, a harmless smile on his face, and waved his hand dismissively. "Sorry, friend, this road is blocked."

His voice wasn't loud, but it reached the assassin's ears clearly, carrying a hint of mockery.
The assassin was terrified, his soul nearly leaving his body.

Without thinking, the remaining spiritual energy in his body surged wildly, and he twisted his toes on the ground, kicking up a trail of dust, trying to force a turn and escape to another direction that seemed to have more people!

However, just as he was about to move, a terrifying aura, heavy as a mountain and hot as lava, descended like an invisible cage, locking him firmly in place!
Zhuo Liqun!
This towering man merely took one step forward, and his massive frame seemed to expand instantly, exuding a battle-hardened, bloodthirsty aura that sealed off all possible escape routes!

The assassin felt his whole body stiffen, as if he had sunk into a sticky swamp. The Zhuo Liqun in front of him was no longer a person, but a massive steel wall that stretched from the sky to the ground, exuding a despairing sense of oppression, leaving him with nowhere to escape or avoid!

The will to survive instantly transformed into the madness of a trapped beast.

The assassin's eyes flashed with ferocity as he prepared to unleash his secret technique in a desperate resistance, even if it meant self-destruction to take someone down with him.

But before he could even form the thought, a large, calloused hand, as fast as a fan, suddenly shot out like an iron clamp, faster than his conscious mind could react!
Click!

With pinpoint accuracy, Zhuo Liqun grabbed the assassin's wrist, which was still tightly gripping the broken hilt of a dagger.

Five fingers, like red-hot irons, instantly gripped his vital pulse point! An overwhelmingly powerful force penetrated his body!

The assassin felt half of his body go numb instantly, and the spiritual energy he had gathered leaked out like a punctured balloon.

With his other hand, he curled his fingers into a claw, and with a lingering ferocity, grabbed at Zhuo Liqun's throat.

Before his claws could extend even an inch, Zhuo Liqun let out a cold snort, and the hand that was gripping his pulse point pressed down slightly with its knuckles!
"Ugh!"

A bloodcurdling scream, so shrill it was inhuman, suddenly burst from the assassin's throat.

His whole body convulsed violently, as if thousands of red-hot steel needles had pierced all his meridians at the same time.

The indescribable pain instantly shattered all his will and defenses.

Torture training and tough-guy disguises are as fragile as paper under the crushing force and pain of this!

Large beads of sweat instantly covered his face, which was contorted and contorted with pain. His body writhed wildly like a fish out of water, but he could not break free from that iron-like hand.

“Tell me,” Zhang Yunfan strolled forward slowly, his face still bearing that seemingly gentle smile, which now appeared like a devil in the assassin’s eyes, as he looked down at his prey curled up and twitching on the ground.

"Who sent you? What is your purpose in launching a sneak attack at this time?"

The assassin convulsed in pain, tears and snot streaming down his face, and gasping for breath.

However, faced with this pointed question, a stubborn ferocity and determination were forced out from the depths of his eyes, which were almost blurred by pain.

He clenched his teeth tightly, making a grinding sound as if they were about to break, and squeezed out a broken, hateful voice from between them: "I...I don't know anything!" The assassin also knew that his denial at this moment was extremely pale and powerless.

So immediately afterward, he retaliated with all his might, pointing the finger at the healer who had just been ambushed by him and was still struggling to circulate his energy, completely unaware of the situation around him!

"You two meddlesome bastards!"

The assassin wept uncontrollably, his voice distorted by pain and indignation: "Why did you aid and abet the wicked?"

He glared at the healer, his eyes blazing with deep-seated hatred: "This man massacred my entire family of 124 three years ago, not even sparing my infant brother. His cruelty was appalling. If I hadn't happened to be visiting a friend that day, I would have been a victim of his blade by now. This hatred is irreconcilable!"

His accusations were poignant and desperate, every word seemingly soaked in blood and tears. The grievances and indignation he expressed were enough to move even those unaware of the truth to tears.

The cultivators who had been observing coldly were immediately affected by this tearful and detailed accusation. Whispers arose in the crowd, and their gazes toward Zhuo Liqun and Zhang Yunfan were now filled with suspicion and condemnation.

"That's right! It's a blood feud, an irreconcilable hatred! They're just seeking revenge, what right do you have to stop them?"

"Fellow Daoist Zhuo, regardless of the reason, shouldn't you release the person first?"

"A life for a life, a debt for a debt—this is the law of nature!"

"Hmph! I bet you two are in cahoots with that murderous tyrant, aren't you? Otherwise, why would you be so protective of him?"

"Killing people is one thing, but to wipe out an entire family of 124 people? That's utterly depraved! You even saved such scum? I bet you two are no better than them!" A cultivator with a full beard and a fiery temper pointed at Zhang Yunfan and Zhuo Liqun and angrily rebuked them.

The person who said this clearly doesn't know Zhuo Liqun.

Some cultivators who knew Zhuo Liqun and were familiar with his past actions frowned at this moment. They did not forcefully step forward to agree with him. Instead, they quietly took a few steps back, distancing themselves from the most vocal individuals, their eyes filled with scrutiny.

Zhuo Liqun gave the cultivator who questioned him a cold look.

His gaze was like a solid icicle.

The bearded cultivator immediately felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, as if he had been targeted by a prehistoric beast. A chill ran down the back of his neck, and the words he was about to say got stuck in his throat.

However, under the watchful eyes of everyone, this man was already in a difficult position. He suppressed his fear, stiffened his neck, and roared with a fierce but weak voice, "What? Why are you glaring at me? Could it be that I hit a nerve, so you're angry and want to kill me to silence me?"

Zhang Yunfan gave a soft hum, his voice not loud but clearly drowning out the noise: "This fellow Daoist's sense of justice is truly well controlled, quite interesting."

A faint, almost imperceptible sneer played on his lips: "When this man suddenly attacked and killed someone, resorting to those underhanded tricks of sneaking up on you from behind, why didn't you step forward to uphold justice?"

"We intervened to stop the murder and maintain order here, and it's as if we stepped on your tails, making you jump up so high?"

Zhuo Liqun's gaze swept over the shouting men, his eyes sharp as knives: "Even if we are to suspect impure motives, it should be us who are suspicious. You men are so eager to jump out and confuse the public, turning black into white. You are more like the assassin's accomplices, aren't you?"

This sharp retort was like a bucket of cold water poured over their heads, instantly silencing the shouters. Their faces turned pale and then red, and for a moment they didn't know how to refute it.

"Sharp-tongued! Arguing illogically!"

A shrill voice suddenly rang out from the crowd, carrying a strong sense of incitement: "I think they are clearly thieves from the Demonic Sect! They exude evil aura!"

"Yes! That's right! These scoundrels from the demonic sect have infiltrated the Zheng family's disciple-acceptance ceremony; they must be harboring evil intentions and plotting something sinister! We can't let these villains' scheme succeed!"

"Kill these demons! Avenge our fallen comrades!"

Hidden deep within the crowd, a scholar-like cultivator with sinister eyes, upon seeing his companion exposed and controlled, immediately began to stir up trouble, attempting to incite public anger and create chaos.

Unfortunately, although his plan was well-conceived, his inflammatory spiritual fluctuations and deliberately guiding words were like fireflies in the dark, and could not escape the keen perception of Zhang Yunfan and Zhuo Liqun, two experienced individuals!
Zhang Yunfan's eyes turned cold as he instantly locked onto the scholar hiding in the crowd, who was spitting as he spoke.

Without hesitation, he gave Wei Siling, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, a wink.

next moment!
Whoosh!
Wei Siling moved like a ghost! She didn't use any fancy footwork, but relied solely on pure speed and strength to forcefully smash through the several cultivators blocking her way, creating a gust of wind.

Everyone only saw a blur before their eyes, and a dark shadow pounced like a hawk!

"what!"

Amid gasps of surprise, Wei Siling's seemingly slender yet terrifyingly powerful hand, like an iron clamp, precisely slipped through the gaps in the crowd and grabbed the scholar-looking cultivator by the back of his neck and collar.

With a forceful pull, Wei Siling yanked the scholar out of the crowd as if lifting a chick, and slammed him roughly to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust!
The scholar was thrown about, completely disoriented. He struggled to lift his head, revealing a weak and terrified appearance. He trembled violently, barely able to speak: "You...you...what do you want to do in broad daylight...in broad daylight? I...I just said something fair..." His voice was choked with sobs, his eyes darting around, making him look utterly innocent.

Before he could finish speaking, he rolled his eyes, tilted his head to the side, and fainted, collapsing to the ground, motionless.

This guy's acting skills were superb, exactly like that assassin's, instantly fooling many unsuspecting cultivators into feeling sympathy and looking at Wei Siling with anger.

"This is outrageous! It's utterly lawless!" A middle-aged cultivator in a brocade robe pointed at Wei Siling and angrily rebuked her.

"This is the Zheng family's disciple-acceptance ceremony! You lot are acting recklessly and publicly humiliating others! Don't you have any respect for the Zheng family? Aren't you afraid that the Zheng family will be furious and expel you all from the cave?"

Zhuo Liqun lifted the assassin, who was limp like a dead dog, with one hand and swung him around like a tattered sack. The assassin's body swayed weakly, and he let out a painful groan.

Zhuo Liqun looked around, his voice booming like a bell, carrying an undeniable sense of pressure: "I say, now that things have come to this, can't you all see it?"

His gaze sharpened as he swept over the cultivators whose faces still held doubt: "These two sneaky fellows aren't here for the disciple-acceptance ceremony at all! They have ulterior motives; they're here to cause trouble and disrupt the Zheng family's grand event!" (End of Chapter)