Blind Ghostwriter: Starts with the full level of Nine Yang Magic Skill

Chapter 240 Bloodbath (1.8 words, please vote)

The imperial city is bustling with activity today.

Emperor Qianlong prepared a birthday banquet for Princess Chengyang, Li Li, in the imperial city, inviting civil and military officials as well as delegations from the three kingdoms. Although everyone knew that the banquet was just a pretext and the real purpose was to entertain the delegations from the three kingdoms, it did not negate the emperor's affection for Princess Chengyang.

At this moment, Jiucheng Palace was bustling with noise.

Almost all the civil and military officials were present, as were the delegations from the three kingdoms, and the princes in the capital. The atmosphere was very lively, and with the arrival of the emperor and empress dowager, the atmosphere reached its peak.

At this moment,
Suddenly, a voice announced from outside: "The Imperial Preceptor has arrived!"

For a moment, all the civil and military officials of the Qian Kingdom were somewhat surprised, and even Emperor Qian and Empress Dowager Yan were very puzzled.

Imperial Preceptor Zhang Daoyi never attended palace banquets, whether large or small. He would only make a symbolic appearance during the annual sacrificial ceremony to Heaven, and even then, it was merely a formality. There was absolutely no way Zhang Daoyi would attend a banquet like today's.

Although Emperor Qianlong sent an invitation to Zhang Daoyi as usual, he received no response and thus assumed that Zhang Daoyi would not come.

Now, upon suddenly hearing that Zhang Daoyi had arrived, they couldn't help but feel puzzled.

In contrast to the doubts of the civil and military officials of the Qian Kingdom, the delegations from the three countries and the four imperial merchants, who were fortunate enough to come to the palace for the first time and were personally selected by Emperor Qian, were full of expectations.

Zhang Daoyi is not only renowned in Qian Kingdom, but also in all the countries of the world. He is a legendary figure, almost like a god.

When the chubby Taoist priest entered the palace, the members of the three kingdoms' delegation were somewhat disappointed. He was quite different from the otherworldly Taoist they had imagined. However, his aura was still very strong and very imposing.

However, what puzzled everyone was that the person following Zhang Daoyi was not the usual Huaisu Daoist boy, but a young girl carrying a large box. She was fair-skinned and looked around, seemingly very curious about everything in the palace.

Upon entering, Zhang Daoyi bowed to Emperor Qianlong and said, "Your subject, Zhang Daoyi, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Zhang Daoyi's attitude was very clear: he bowed to Emperor Qian, but completely ignored Empress Dowager Yan, who was sitting not far from Emperor Qian.

Empress Dowager Yan's expression immediately turned somewhat unpleasant.

Emperor Qian, however, was as happy as if he had drunk honey, and hurriedly said, "Imperial Preceptor, please do not stand on ceremony, please take a seat."

At this moment, many civil and military officials also stood up to pay their respects to Zhang Daoyi, but they all addressed him as "Celestial Master" without using his official title.

Zhang Daoyi cupped his hands to the crowd, flicked his whisk, and said to Emperor Qian, "Your Majesty, I will not stay at this banquet any longer. I am not used to such occasions and did not come prepared." As he spoke, he pointed to a young girl who was still looking around and said, "This girl said that she had never seen a royal banquet before and wondered if there were many delicacies here, so I brought her here to broaden her horizons!"

These words caused an uproar throughout the hall.

Everyone turned to look at the young woman, wondering what her identity was that Zhang Daoyi treated her so specially. Many people's first thought was that Zhang Daoyi had a daughter late in life, which was why he spoiled her so much.

The Emperor was also puzzled and asked, "Who is this young lady?"

At this moment, Princess Li Li of Chengyang, who was sitting next to Emperor Qian and was the nominal protagonist of this banquet, said excitedly, "Father, Father, I know, she is Gu Chudong, she is my good friend, she is very capable, I have told you about her!"

Emperor Qianlong suddenly realized.

Zhang Daoyi finally spoke up and addressed the crowd: "This is Gu Chudong, the younger sister of Gu Mo, the great hero of Yunzhou."

In fact, many people present were quite unfamiliar with the name "Hero of Yunzhou". After all, they did not pay much attention to the martial arts world. Only a few people knew about the affairs of Linhai County and were familiar with the name "Hero of Yunzhou".

However, the lack of understanding did not prevent people from feeling impressed and awe, after all, he was a person whom the Imperial Advisor Zhang Daoyi personally led here just to broaden his horizons.

Emperor Qian nodded and said, "So it's Lady Gu. I've long heard of you and your brother, Gu Mo, the great hero of Yunzhou. Your brother is a martial arts prodigy who is unparalleled in the world. He hates evil, is righteous, and slays demons. He truly deserves the name of the great hero of Yunzhou."

You, Gu Chudong, are truly an extraordinary woman of our time, a woman whose talents rival those of men. Meeting you today, I can confirm that you are indeed as refined and otherworldly as the rumors say, a rare talent among the young!

Gu Chudong is a socially anxious person and is not used to being stared at by everyone. But at this moment, because Zhang Daoyi pointed her out and made her the center of attention, she felt very embarrassed. And now, being praised by Emperor Qian in person made her even more embarrassed.

Zhang Daoyi transmitted his voice from the side, "What are you standing there for? Answer me!"

"What should I reply to?" Gu Chudong asked telepathically.

"Thank you, and then say a few nice words."

Gu Chudong suddenly realized what was going on, and hurriedly cupped her hands to Emperor Qian, stammering, "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. Um...you...you have excellent taste!"

Emperor Qian: "..."

Civil and military officials: "..."

Zhang Daoyi: "??"

So, asking you to say nice things means you're praising yourself?

Emperor Qian was slightly taken aback, then couldn't help but laugh so hard he almost choked. He quickly said, "Please take a seat, please take a seat. Well, since you and Chengyang are friends, please sit here with Chengyang!"

Gu Chudong looked up at Zhang Daoyi.

Zhang Daoyi nodded slightly.

Gu Chudong walked towards Li Li, who was overjoyed. She quickly stood up and pulled Gu Chudong to sit beside her, saying, "Chudong, you came to say goodbye to me a few days ago. I thought you were really leaving, and I was so sad. It turns out you were preparing a surprise for me. You're so kind!"

Gu Chudong was holding a large shrimp in her hand and felt a little awkward for a moment.

In fact, she had completely forgotten about Li Li's birthday.

This morning, during the battle at the Court of State Ceremonial, Gu Mo chased after the human-faced monster and told her to wait at the Imperial Preceptor's residence. When she arrived at the Imperial Preceptor's residence, Zhang Daoyi said he was going to the Imperial Observatory. She thought that the royal banquet would definitely have many delicacies, so she asked Zhang Daoyi to take her along. It had nothing to do with Li Li's birthday.

However, seeing the expectant look in Li Li's eyes, she nodded firmly and said, "Yes, it's to give you a surprise!"

Li Li's eyes lit up as she placed all the dishes on the table in front of Gu Chudong. She leaned close to Gu Chudong's ear and whispered, "Don't eat too much right now. Let me tell you, when the banquet is almost over, my mother will take the ladies to the back garden. There's lots of delicious food there!"

"Mmmmmmm..."

Gu Chudong kept stuffing food into her mouth and nodding in response. Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of a woman sitting at the back of the main hall below, smiling at her.

Gu Chudong's eyes lit up.

Because that was an acquaintance, Yun Xiu, the eldest daughter of the Yun family whom I had met in Cangzhou.

Gu Chudong quickly waved to Yunxiu.

Yunxiu smiled slightly and waved her hand gently. However, she dared not be as presumptuous as Gu Chudong. She sat very properly at the table, not daring to touch anything on the table, and maintained the best manners throughout, for fear of accidentally breaking the rules.

"Do you know her?" Li Li asked Gu Chudong.

Gu Chudong nodded.

Li Li said, "She is one of the four imperial merchants appointed by the Emperor, from Cangzhou... Hmm, it's normal that you know her, she's also a member of the martial arts world, and her family seems to be one of the seven great families of the martial arts world, her name is Yun something..."

Gu Chudong nodded and said, "Yunxiu, her name is Yunxiu. Let me tell you, Sister Yunxiu is amazing. She's beautiful, skilled in martial arts, and proficient in everything from music and chess to calligraphy, painting, poetry, and songs. In particular, she's incredibly capable in business. She became the head of the Yun family as a woman, and now she's even a royal merchant. She'll definitely lead the Yun family to even greater heights. She's a true extraordinary woman, and I admire her greatly!"

Hearing Gu Chudong praise Yunxiu so enthusiastically, Li Li felt very jealous and pouted, saying, "You've never praised me like this before, humph! I feel like you like her more than me!"

“I like both of you,” Gu Chudong said, “but you are different from her.”

"How is it different?" Li Li asked.

Gu Chudong said, "I plan to introduce them to each other on blind dates once my brother's eyes have recovered, so she might become my sister-in-law in the future. Can we be the same?"

Li Li was displeased. She sat up straight, straightened her back, and said, "What's wrong with that? Am I not pretty? You can introduce me to your brother. Can't I be your sister-in-law? Hey, that's a good idea! If I become your sister-in-law, I can play with you every day!"

Gu Chudong shook her head and said, "You can't. You're a princess, and the royal rules are too strict. Besides, if my brother marries you, he'll be a prince consort, and a prince consort can't marry anyone else. So you can't. I was even thinking that my brother would marry several more wives in the future, so that our Gu family could have many descendants and flourish!"

"Humph!"

Li Li was so angry she wanted to bite Gu Chudong.

The banquet proceeded in an orderly manner.

However, Zhang Daoyi left directly.

Before long, the banquet proceeded to the point where the four countries signed a trade agreement.

Empress Dowager Yan seemed to be adopting an attitude of "out of sight, out of mind," and left directly citing feeling unwell as the reason.

Emperor Qianlong then arranged for the delegations from the three countries and the four major imperial merchants to sign various regulations for trade cooperation under the arrangement of the Ministry of Rites.

after that,

Not long after,

As expected, the banquet proceeded to the point where the Empress led a group of female guests into the rear garden, separating them from the male banquet in the front palace.

Gu Chudong ran over and started chatting with Yunxiu.

On the other side, Li Li was being led by the Empress, and many female relatives from the families of ministers came to pay their respects.

However, Li Li was absent-minded and kept looking outside. Although she couldn't see anything, the thought of Gu Chudong chatting so enthusiastically with Yunxiu made her feel bad, as if her good friend was about to be taken away.

The Empress, being able to manage the inner palace, was naturally a meticulous person. She immediately saw through Li Li's childish mentality and said with a smile, "Chengyang, would you like to go and call your good friend to me? I quite like that child!"

"Okay!"

Li Li immediately ran towards Gu Chudong.

Yunxiu, who was chatting with Gu Chudong, saw Li Li coming over and quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness!"

"Hmm." Li Li nodded coolly, then said to Gu Chudong, "Chudong, my mother wants to see you!"

Gu Chudong asked in confusion, "Why does the Empress want to see me?"

"Oh, you'll see when you get there."

Li Li grabbed Gu Chudong's hand and pulled her away.

"Sister Yun, I'll come find you in a bit!"

After telling Yunxiu, Gu Chudong left with Li Li.

Yunxiu reminded her from the side, "In early winter, when you meet the Empress later, you must pay attention to etiquette and not offend the noble lady."

Gu Chudong thought for a moment, realizing she wasn't good at etiquette either.

But she wasn't worried. Although she had never met the Empress, she had heard a lot about Empress Cao's reputation in the martial arts world. She was well-known for her virtue among the common people, and the Empress Cao she had just met in the main hall was very gentle and kind. She must be a very good person.

Li Li, holding Gu Chudong's hand, glanced back at Yunxiu with a slightly provocative look, then quickly pulled Gu Chudong away.

The maidservant who was following Yunxiu was very uneasy and whispered, "Miss, I feel that this Princess Chengyang seems to have a problem with you. Have we offended her somehow? Will we be in trouble?"

Yunxiu chuckled and said, "It's not as scary as you think. This Princess Chengyang is simple-minded and just a child at heart. She's afraid I'll steal her good friend away!"

……

Soon, Li Li led Gu Chudong to a very luxurious hall, where the female relatives of the top ministers of the court were seated, with Empress Cao naturally being the most honored.

When Li Li brought Gu Chudong in, some of the people present adopted a dismissive attitude, looking down on someone like Gu Chudong who was a member of the martial arts world. However, no one was foolish enough to show it.

"Mother, early winter has arrived!" Li Li pulled Gu Chudong forward.

Gu Chudong felt a little awkward and bowed to Empress Cao, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress... um..."

She suddenly realized that it was inappropriate to use the Jianghu etiquette towards the Empress. She tried to recall how others had greeted her, but couldn't remember at all, because she had been too busy eating in the main hall.

Empress Cao chuckled and said, “Miss Gu, there’s no need for all those formalities. I know you’re a free spirit, used to being unrestrained, and can’t stand those rules and regulations, so there’s no need for formalities.” As she spoke, Empress Cao pointed to the table and chairs that had been specially set aside next to her and said, “I noticed you didn’t seem to have eaten much in the main hall. Come, sit here and have some snacks!”

Gu Chudong's eyes lit up when she saw that there were many foods on the table that couldn't be bought outside. She said, "Your Majesty, you are so kind!"

Empress Cao chuckled and said, "I've often heard Chengyang talk about you, and I've wanted to meet you for a long time. Now that I've met you, I don't know why, but I just like you so much. Don't be shy, just make yourself at home!"

Empress Cao's words caused many people in the hall to change their expressions.

In the eyes of many, although Gu Chudong had a martial arts master as her brother, to a family of high-ranking officials, so-called martial arts masters were no different from ordinary villagers.

But Empress Cao's reaction left them all somewhat unsure of what to do.

Everyone present was from a noble family, and no one would believe that Empress Cao's special treatment of Gu Chudong was really because she liked her at first sight. As an empress, she would not act on her emotions, especially on such an occasion.

Indeed, just as those ministers and their families thought, Empress Cao did not like Gu Chudong at first sight, but rather because Gu Chudong was brought by Zhang Daoyi personally, and had an older brother who could become or even surpass Zhang Daoyi.

She knew many things that the ministers' families didn't. For example, she knew that although the emperor was grateful and respected Zhang Daoyi, he actually harbored fear of him. This was because Zhang Daoyi possessed power that allowed him to disregard imperial authority to some extent. And now, Gu Chudong's backer was someone who might even surpass Zhang Daoyi—a martial arts prodigy whom Zhang Daoyi was trying to win over.

In the eyes of these high-ranking officials and nobles, people from the martial arts world were generally looked down upon. However, it depended on the person; they didn't dare to look down on all martial arts people. There was Zhang Daoyi in the Qian Kingdom and Su Qianqiu in the Southern Jin Dynasty.

In particular, Su Qianqiu is known as the one who guards the country's borders alone.

In order to keep Su Qianqiu in check, the Southern Jin royal family went so far as to find a bloodline that Su Qianqiu himself had forgotten and left behind, and then forcibly transformed it into a top family in Southern Jin, all in order to keep Su Qianqiu tied down.

Therefore, for Empress Cao,

The significance of this young girl before her was immense; she was truly someone whose individual worth was equivalent to that of millions. It was said that the Southern Jin dynasty had expended manpower, resources, and wealth to create a bond for Su Qianqiu that amounted to several years of its tax revenue, and this young girl alone was worth several years' worth of a nation's tax revenue.

So this is no little girl at all; she's a precious darling radiating golden light, saving the royal family money.

How could she not like it after seeing it?

Gu Chudong didn't have that many thoughts on it.
She felt that Empress Cao was a very kind and gentle person. She kept giving her snacks and said that she would have the imperial kitchen prepare more for her later. Therefore, the empress was a very good person!
Gu Chudong wasn't interested in the topics being discussed by the families of princes and ministers. She just ate the various kinds of pastries and, with Li Li's help, put many more pastries into her book box.

Suddenly, at a certain moment,
An arrow suddenly shot in from outside the door.

Before the carved wooden door could even tremble, the iron arrow had already pierced the wind. The arrowhead gleamed with a cold, eerie blue light, even more chilling than the icicles hanging from the eaves. The strong wind it generated cut off the dripping sound of the water clock as it passed over it—it was a fleeting moment, yet it revealed a ruthless and destructive force, aimed directly at the vermilion mark between Empress Cao's eyebrows.

The maid behind the empress had just unfurled the soft whip from her sleeve, preparing to intercept the arrow.

Then a hand suddenly reached out and firmly grasped the arrow.

It was Gu Chudong who made the move. She was holding an almond pastry in her left hand and gripping the arrow shaft with her right hand like an iron clamp. The airflow generated when her fingertips rolled over the arrow fletching actually turned the white steam rising from the teacup on the table into tangled fluff.

The arrowhead was no more than two feet from Empress Cao's skin.

Although she wasn't worried that the arrow would hurt her, she was still startled. She clutched the gold peony on her skirt and subconsciously looked at Gu Chudong.

Gu Chudong's dark blue hair was whipped about by the arrow wind, revealing half of her face covered in pastry crumbs, her jaw still gently opening and closing—clearly she was chewing on the almond shortbread she hadn't swallowed yet.

"There are assassins!"

The maid behind Empress Cao shouted and rushed forward to protect her.

Chaos erupted inside the hall. The gilded incense burner was knocked over, and the sandalwood mixed with the scent of rouge shattered into powder in the chaos.

Suddenly, Gu Chudong raised her palm and slammed it onto the sandalwood table in front of her. The celadon bowls and plates stacked on the table jumped up in response, and the moment her palm left the table, the entire table crashed into the palace door like a galloping horse.

In that instant, more than ten arrows came flying at the edge of the table, their "thuds" echoing like firecrackers on New Year's Eve, turning the table into a pincushion.

The table fell to the ground, and a dense swarm of arrows appeared outside, terrifying the women into a panic.

"Everyone get down!"

Gu Chudong's voice mingled with the soft tinkling of a scabbard as the Gouchen Demon Blade drew a half-moon of fire in her hand. She had already flown to the palace entrance, the blade reflecting the sunlight outside, and a faint blue halo condensed within a few feet around her, swirling like a vortex and trapping all the sounds of air being torn apart.

The arrows, still in mid-air, suddenly stopped abruptly, the sharp sound of their arrowheads turning like crows swooping down from the eaves on an autumn night. A hundred or so arrows, their fletching forming silver snakes in the flash of the blade, rained down on the threshold of the palace as she slammed her sword hilt against the ground. Sparks flew onto the gilded screen, making the blue hair tie hanging from her temple stand out starkly.

The many ladies from the noble families present were all bewildered as they watched Gu Chudong's retreating figure.

At that moment, the sounds of clashing swords and spears rang out outside the palace gates, and chaos ensued.

Two guards, covered in blood, stumbled in, shouting, "Your Majesty, hurry! Go to the front hall and meet His Majesty!"

Empress Cao's expression changed slightly, but she remained calm and quickly asked, "What happened?"

"I don't know," the guard said, "but an army has appeared outside and is attacking. We can't hold them off anymore. You should leave through the back door quickly!"

Immediately,

Empress Cao immediately led the group of women to leave through the back door of the main hall. Although the women were panicked, they were still able to maintain order under Empress Cao's supervision.

"Early winter, early winter here, hurry up!"

Li Li followed Empress Cao away, not forgetting to call out to Gu Chudong.

Gu Chudong didn't hesitate and followed the group of women towards the back door. Compared to the panic of the women present, Gu Chudong naturally appeared very calm.

In reality, her mind was in complete disarray, and she couldn't understand why such chaos was occurring in the palace.

At this moment, those in front of Empress Cao did not dare to overstep their bounds and managed to maintain order, but those behind them were in complete chaos, jostling and pushing.

However, when Gu Chudong caught up, the women who had been squeezed to the back were no longer flustered. They hurriedly straightened their clothes and walked to Gu Chudong's side, following her closely as she left. They would occasionally steal glances at Gu Chudong's profile, and as soon as Gu Chudong looked at them, they would immediately lower their heads and not dare to meet her gaze.

Gu Chudong looked left and right and found that these women were all quite beautiful and had a great temperament and refinement. She immediately had an idea and asked in a low voice, "Hey, ladies, are none of you married?"

As soon as Gu Chudong said this, the women all looked at her, then lowered their heads, their faces flushed. Some didn't say anything, while others just hummed in a soft "hmm".

Gu Chudong immediately understood.
He immediately decided that once things were over, he would get to know all the girls one by one and make friends with them all.

Hmm, a few more candidates for sister-in-law have emerged!
……

Soon, led by Empress Cao, the group of women walked out of the back door.

However, the scene became chaotic again in the next moment.

Because there was an army uniformly dressed in light red armor in the long alley. Although there were only about a hundred people, they were all imposing and full of killing intent. Naturally, the women present did not dare to charge into them. They were all terrified and panicked.

However, Empress Cao was from a military family. Although her martial arts skills were average, she had been exposed to martial arts since childhood and was not intimidated by the murderous aura. She said in a deep voice, "Whose army are you? Do you know that what you are doing is a crime punishable by the confiscation of your property and the extermination of your clan? If you stop now, there is still a chance to turn back!"

"Queen!"

As an aged voice rang out, two people stepped forward. The one in front was a hunched old woman with a large mole on the corner of her mouth and a floral hat. The other woman had a slender waist, delicate features, and was busy embroidering.

The two men bowed to Empress Cao and said, "Your Majesty, please return to your palace to rest. We will not make things difficult for you."

Empress Cao recognized the two women, and her face instantly turned ugly. She scolded them, "Matchmaker, embroiderer... do you Night Tribe members intend to rebel?"

These two middle-aged women were not ordinary people; they were the only two women among the twelve commanders of the Night Division. The older one was the commander codenamed Matchmaker, and the younger one was codenamed Embroiderer.

The embroiderer chuckled and said, "Your Majesty, His Majesty has been misled by treacherous officials. We are here to purge the court of corrupt officials; we would never dare to rebel!"

The matchmaker's voice was hoarse as she said, "Since Your Highness knows us, you should also know that you can't leave here. So don't think about anything else, lest you make things difficult for us. Otherwise, our men are all roughnecks, and it would be a great sin if they accidentally defiled the Phoenix's body!"

"you……"

Empress Cao clenched her fist, but then let it fall slumped open.

She knew perfectly well that the rear hall of Jiucheng Palace was usually where the women lived, and there were very few guards to begin with. Now, with the chaos at the front gate, probably very few were left. Among the women present, very few knew martial arts; most were delicate and weak, and had no chance of fighting their way out. Moreover, there were not only soldiers here, but also the two commanders of the Night Division, both martial arts masters.

"Fine!" Empress Cao gritted her teeth and said, "We'll go back, but you're not allowed to come in."

The matchmaker nodded slightly and said, "Your Highness, rest assured, we will not harm any of you, but..." She suddenly looked at Gu Chudong in the crowd and said, "However, Miss Gu, you must come with us!"

"Me?" Gu Chudong asked in confusion, "Where am I going with you?"

The matchmaker smiled kindly and said, "Miss Gu, please come with us. Don't worry, we won't hurt you. It's just that our master would like to invite you to sit down for a while!"

Gu Chudong scratched the back of his head and said, "But I don't want to go."

The matchmaker chuckled and said, "Miss Gu, you'd better come with us. Otherwise, if a fight breaks out and we accidentally hurt these noble ladies, or even the Empress or Princess Chengyang, that wouldn't be good, would it?"

Gu Chudong thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I'll go with you then. But you mustn't hurt anyone here!"

The matchmaker nodded and said, "Of course."

Gu Chudong immediately stepped out of the crowd, and Li Li cried out anxiously, "Chudong, don't go! It's dangerous!"

The young ladies from official families standing next to Gu Chudong were also filled with anxiety.

Gu Chudong waved her hand dismissively, saying, "Don't worry, it's just a short trip, nothing serious, anyway I'm..."

Just as they were striding forward,
The book box on Gu Chudong's back suddenly opened, and a dark-colored box, three inches wide and one foot and five inches long, fell into Gu Chudong's hands. It was the Thousand Machine Box.

She opened the Thousand Machine Box and shot it at the matchmaker and the embroiderer.

In that instant, the wind blowing through the alleyway carried poplar catkins past her dark gray temples, but it couldn't compare to the cold glint that burst forth after the soft click of the mechanism—thousands of thin blades, like an inverted Milky Way, spewed out of their sheaths with a sharp whistling sound like tearing silk. The blades, reflecting the twilight, were even more frigid than the icy glass on the eaves. Their swirling trajectories intertwined into a net, and the inverted Milky Way and the rainbow piercing the sun cast shimmering blades of light on the brick wall, sealing off the two-zhang square alleyway completely.

The matchmaker's hand, still clutching the gilded pipe, hovered in mid-air, the embers in the bowl flickering uncertainly. She had just thought Gu Chutian was so naive, but in the blink of an eye, she'd been ambushed.

The embroiderer's fingertips had just caught the silver bell on the hem of her skirt, and the twelve embroidery needles were still in her sleeves, not yet slipping out, when a barrage of blades rained down, making it hard to breathe—the hidden weapons from the Thousand Machine Box were not shooting at all, but rather pouring down like a dam bursting. The sound of them cutting through the air was so loud that it hurt the eardrums, and the pearl hairpins on the two women's temples were even knocked away by the force of the attack.

"What a despicable and shameless little bitch!"

Before the matchmaker's curses had even finished, her protective aura spread out like gold foil around her body. She had cultivated a body of iron and steel through external martial arts.

However, she did not expect that the Thousand Machine Box, the fifth most powerful hidden weapon in the world, was something that even the head manager, Mr. Dongjing, had almost killed.

The initial barrage of blades was extremely ruthless. The first three thin blades struck the protective energy, producing a metallic clang. The fourth blade pierced directly through her left arm, followed by bursts of blood from her neck, chest, and abdomen. She was forced back three steps by the impact of the hidden weapons. When her back slammed against the brick wall, the golden-leaf-like protective energy shattered into countless fireflies, revealing her riddled body—the thin blades didn't even stop, grazing her ribs and moving forward another half inch.

The embroiderer and the matchmaker had worked together for many years, always coordinating their offense and defense. In the blink of an eye, she dodged behind the matchmaker, but she never expected that the matchmaker's seemingly invincible body would be broken in that instant.

Her ten jade-like fingers danced like butterflies, and silver threads mixed with vermilion lines spread out like a spider web from her sleeves. Her "Thousand Needles Embroidered Moon" technique was originally used to subdue the enemy's meridians, but now, the wall of threads she hastily wove was indeed like a translucent moon, blocking the oncoming rain of blades.

But she was caught off guard. When the silver thread collided with the thin blade, sparks flew. In the blink of an eye, the wall of thread blossomed with petal-like cracks. Seven or eight hidden weapons grazed her shoulder. Her protective aura cracked open with a "sizzle," and the silver bracelet on the embroiderer's wrist was shaken off. She had no choice but to grit her teeth and swing out thirty-six poisoned embroidery needles from her sleeve, knocking the last few hidden weapons to the dust with a clanging sound.

Just as the captain at the other end of the wide alley was about to draw his sword, a flash of light suddenly appeared before his eyes. Twenty-seven guards in black armor, lined up in formation, were no match for the rain of blades pouring down like a reversed Milky Way—the man in the front row raised his sword to parry, only to have his blade riddled with thin blades, and was sent flying backward; the archer in the middle, before he could even draw his bowstring, had his throat pierced by three overlapping blades; the soldiers at the rear, holding shields, fared even worse, their shields riddled with bullets, seventeen or eighteen hidden weapons embedded in their backs, blood gushing from the cracks in the bricks, staining the bluestone slabs a dark red river. Amidst the cries of agony, someone's sword fell to the ground, rolling and raising a trail of blood, startling the crows perched on the wall.

The embroiderer's fingers flew, striking two major acupoints on her shoulder heavily. Beads of purplish-black blood dripped from her fingertips as she circulated her inner energy, barely suppressing the toxins that had seeped into her meridians. Her shoulder had just been grazed by a hidden weapon.

She glanced at the matchmaker, who was riddled with wounds and dead, then looked at Gu Chudong, gritting her teeth and cursing, "Gu Chudong, you little bitch..."

Before she could finish her rant, Gu Chudong slammed the book box to the ground, drew the Gouchen Demon Blade, and as it was drawn, a three-foot flame erupted from the blade, making the girl's features appear terrifying, like those of a demon.

The embroiderer's curses were shattered by the whistling wind of the blade. Gu Chudong leaped into the air, her toes barely touching the ground, the blade's momentum carrying a scorching heat wave as it slashed towards her, the flames on the back of the blade twisting and surging like a living thing.

The embroiderer quickly responded with a slight flick of her wrist, and hundreds of embroidery needles mixed with cinnabar and red thread poured out like a torrential rain. The poison quenched in the silver needles drew eerie green trails in the air, while the red threads intertwined into a net, attempting to entangle the demonic sword.

The moment the Gouchen Demon Blade cleaved through the rain of needles, flames suddenly surged across its blade. Gu Chudong spun around, changing her attack; the blade moved like a dragon's tail, blasting away all the silver needles.

Seeing the situation was dire, the embroiderer swiftly changed her footwork, and twelve golden threads shot out from her sleeves, aiming straight for Gu Chudong's vital points. The young girl sneered, and her blade suddenly shifted, flames enveloping the blade and condensing into a crimson light blade, severing the red threads inch by inch wherever it passed.

The embroiderer was forced to retreat repeatedly until her back pressed against the mottled brick wall.

Gu Chudong leaped into the air, gripping the hilt of the sword tightly with both hands, the tip pointing straight at the sky. In an instant, the demonic sword erupted with blinding light, and two intersecting cross-shaped sword energies, carrying raging flames, slashed down towards the embroiderer as if splitting the heavens and earth.

The embroiderer hurriedly waved her silver needles to form a shield of light, but the moment the blade energy touched her, the needles melted into molten iron, and her protective aura shattered. The cross-shaped blade energy, carrying earth-shattering power, sent her flying, crashing heavily onto a bluestone slab three zhang away, carving a deep bloody gash in the ground.

"puff"

The embroiderer coughed up blood and was helped up by two soldiers. She roared, "Kill this shameless little slut!"

"Hmph, Wu De!" Gu Chudong raised his knife, his eyes blazing with fire, his voice as cold as ice, and said, "Don't think I don't know you want to use me to threaten my brother. I really want to ask, what makes you think I'm so easy to manipulate?"

Dozens of heavily armored elite soldiers pressed forward to the beat of drums, the clanging of their black iron bracers against their gilded shields sending dust swirling through the alley.

The leading captain slammed his long spear into the ground, the cold air emanating from the gaps in his armor almost condensing into frost flowers. Behind him, the soldiers formed a cone-shaped battle formation, the cold light emanating from their spear tips like a forest, even darkening the sky by a third.

Nearly a hundred elite soldiers charged in.

A flame mark appeared between Gu Chudong's brows, her eyes turned blood red, and the Gouchen Demon Blade suddenly burst into a blood flame over ten feet long. The blade twisted and trembled as if it were alive, and dark red blood beads seeped out.

"kill!"

Her voice was eerie, carrying a hint of bestiality. She immediately charged into the enemy ranks, the air crackling with a piercing sound as her blade passed through. Cross-shaped blade energy spread out like a spider web, shredding the first soldiers who rushed at her into minced meat.

When the demon sword cleaved through the shield, molten iron mixed with blood mist sprayed out, and the moment it severed the spear, the broken shaft was charred into a crisp by the high temperature.

Gu Chudong transformed into a battlefield of carnage, his cross-shaped blade energy crisscrossing, soldiers' heads and limbs flying everywhere, blood splattering on the blue brick walls in hideous patterns. In no time, the alley was filled with twisted corpses, and blood flowed into streams that overflowed the stone steps.

The soldiers were intimidated and began to show fear. The embroiderer hiding behind them saw that things were not going well and immediately prepared to run away.

"Want to leave!"

Gu Chudong's face was cold, and she suddenly slashed out with her sword.

A cross-shaped blade of energy appeared in the void, slashing through the embroiderer's body with raging flames, and struck the stone wall, leaving a huge cross mark.

The embroiderer's body remained in a forward-running posture when it instantly exploded into four pieces, and even the blood evaporated.

The remaining few soldiers were terrified and fled in panic.

"go!"

Gu Chudong turned around and called out.

Empress Cao and the others then seemed to wake from a dream and hurriedly followed Gu Chudong away.

However, Li Li did not forget to bring Gu Chudong's suitcase, but she couldn't carry it herself, so she handed it to a palace maid who knew martial arts.

The Gouchen Demon Blade in Gu Chudong's hand was burning with raging flames.

Holding a knife in one hand, covered in blood, she strode ahead, driving the armored soldiers into a panicked retreat, followed by dozens of women hurrying along behind her.

"How dashing!"

Li Li followed behind, watching Gu Chudong's retreating figure with a gleam in her eyes. The other women with her nodded in agreement.

quickly,

Under Gu Chudong's escort, Empress Cao and her entourage of women arrived at Jiucheng Palace. However, the situation at Jiucheng Palace was also very bad. The doors of the main hall were tightly closed, with many military officers standing at the front, civil officials, the emperor, and the envoys from the three kingdoms in the middle. Outside the main hall, the sounds of fighting continued.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Empress Cao and her group of women arrive, but there was a mix of joy and sorrow, as this was only a portion of the women. However, given the unusual circumstances, no one bothered to ask where the others had gone.

Empress Cao, however, said to appease the officials, "Their main purpose was to capture me. Now, thanks to the cover of Lady Gu Chudong, I have escaped. I think they won't make things too difficult for the others!"

Everyone couldn't help but look at Gu Chudong.
Gu Chudong remained expressionless, holding a flaming sword, her eyes indifferent, motionless and silent.

"Your Majesty, what's going on?" Empress Cao asked.

"That rebellious fifth son," Emperor Qian said in a deep voice, "he actually colluded with Empress Dowager Yan to attempt a coup, and I don't even know where his army came from!"

Empress Cao exclaimed in surprise, "Where is the Imperial City Guard?"

Emperor Qian's face was ashen as he said, "There's a problem with the Imperial City Guard. We don't know what tricks they've been up to. Some are fighting amongst themselves, and others have lost their will to fight. They were attacked by the Night Guard and that rebellious Fifth Prince. Now there are only a few hundred people left guarding Jiucheng Palace. I'm afraid they won't be able to hold out for long!"

Empress Cao hurriedly asked, "Where is the Imperial Preceptor? Where are the five clan elders of the Imperial Clan Court?"

Emperor Qian shook his head and said, "I don't know where they went. They might have been stopped by the Night Division, but that shouldn't be the case. What ability do those people from the Night Division have to stop the Imperial Preceptor and several clan elders?"

For a moment, the atmosphere in the main hall was extremely oppressive.

Just then, another group of women appeared behind them. They were the same group that had been left behind in the back garden. They were being escorted into the main hall by a dozen or so palace guards covered in blood, while the fighting outside continued.

Although there were still fewer people, most of them returned.

Gu Chudong breathed a slight sigh of relief when she saw Yunxiu covered in blood in the crowd. Among those people, Yunxiu was the only one she cared about. She quickly went over and transferred some true energy to help Yunxiu regulate her breathing.

At this moment,
A guard commander with tattered armor approached Emperor Qian and said, “Your Majesty… Just now during the battle, a spy from the Imperial City Guard, who was hiding in the Night Division, rushed to me. Commandant Su Ziyou noticed something amiss this morning, but by then he couldn’t enter the Imperial City. Time was of the essence, so he went to fetch reinforcements. He told us that we must hold on and not surrender until the very last moment!”

Emperor Qianlong's eyes lit up, and he repeatedly said "good."

……

At this time, outside the Imperial Observatory of the Imperial City.

Zhang Daoyi was trapped in an array, which was set up by five main officials of the Imperial Clan Court, who were also the five elders of the imperial family. They were of very high seniority and were the pillars of the imperial family. Even the imperial power was subject to their control. They were the strongest foundation of the imperial family in martial arts.

Leaving aside their royal status, the Li family can be understood as a powerful clan. These five elders are the five most capable, senior, and prestigious members of this clan. Together, they can even decide who becomes the clan leader.

Any one of these five individuals is a grandmaster in the martial arts world, but their greatest strength lies in their mastery of a unique formation technique reserved for royalty. When the five of them work together, they can unleash an extremely powerful force that can be used for both offense and defense.

Even when Zhang Daoyi was trapped inside, he was unable to break through for the time being.

Trapped in the formation, Zhang Daoyi was puzzled and said, "Gentlemen, although His Majesty is not as brilliant as the late Emperor, he is still a qualified emperor. Why do you join forces with Empress Dowager Yan to deal with His Majesty? Don't tell me you were bribed; I absolutely do not believe that."

The elder clan leader said, “Old Celestial Master, we cannot betray the royal family, and we do not deny that the current emperor is not bad. However, he has made a mistake, a mistake that will shake the foundation of the country.”

Zhang Daoyi asked in confusion, "What is it?"

The elder pointed at Zhang Daoyi and said, "You've placed too much faith in Taoism. Back then, the late emperor relied on Taoism to restrain powerful clans. Nine years ago, the current emperor also relied on your Taoist sect to ascend the throne. It's understandable that you should rely on Taoism. But you can't blindly trust Taoism. People's hearts are fickle, old Celestial Master."

"Your Taoist sect's influence in the court is now too great, but the emperor hasn't realized it yet, and is still focused on suppressing the powerful clans. I believe you, Celestial Master, won't cause trouble, but can you guarantee that the various factions within the Taoist sect won't become a source of trouble?"

For a moment, Zhang Daoyi was at a loss for words to refute.

From his perspective, he naturally hoped for the prosperity of the Taoist sect. But from the perspective of the royal family, the court needed a balance; one dominant sect was absolutely unacceptable. When the late emperor emphasized the suppression of aristocratic families by the Taoist sect, it wasn't truly about eliminating them, but about maintaining a balance.

Now, the emperor is paying more and more attention to Taoism, which is indeed beginning to cause an imbalance. The emperor himself may be too caught up in the situation to see clearly, but the elders of the five clans on the outside can see it. Therefore, instead of joining forces with Empress Dowager Yan, they want to curb the Taoism's dominance in the court.

“However,” Zhang Daoyi said, “I don’t deny what you’ve done, but elders, have you considered that if Empress Dowager Yan succeeds in forcing the emperor to abdicate today and her son, Prince Duan, ascends to the throne, the impact will be enormous. If a younger brother usurps the throne from his elder brother, and this sets a precedent, then your Li clan’s descendants will follow suit, and the palace will be stained with blood for generations to come!”

The elder clan leader said, "Empress Dowager Yan has agreed to let Prince Ji, Li Zhongde, ascend to the throne."

Zhang Daoyi looked bewildered.
Since Prince Ji, Li Zhongde, is the son of the current emperor, what is the point of overthrowing the father and putting his son on the throne?
The elder saw Zhang Daoyi's doubts and said, "Old Celestial Master, what Empress Dowager Yan needs is to protect the Yan family, but the current emperor is single-mindedly focused on seizing power and taking revenge on the Yan family. The two of them cannot reconcile. If they continue to fight like this, the final result will either be that the aristocratic families will regain control of the court, or your Taoist sect will become the only dominant force. Both of these are very bad."

Therefore, in this situation, the only option is to find someone who can maintain stability on both sides. Prince Ji is very suitable. He is close to Empress Dowager Yan, and she strongly supported his ascension to the throne, so he will certainly not attack the Yan family, thus achieving Empress Dowager Yan's goals. As the emperor's son, he can also inherit the relationship between the imperial lineage and the Daoist sect, ensuring amicable relations on both sides and maintaining a balance.

Zhang Daoyi curled his lip and said, "Balance my ass. Don't you know I just broke Prince Ji's legs a while ago? What, now that his legs are healed, can you guarantee he won't hold a grudge?"

The elder clan leader said, "In the face of imperial power, is that little thing really a grudge? Although you broke his leg, you didn't use any methods to prevent him from recovering, did you? It's not a big grudge!"

“Alright,” Zhang Daoyi nodded and said, “I won’t go into that. In the face of the throne, that’s indeed nothing. But what about Empress Dowager Yan? How can you guarantee that she won’t have selfish motives? Now that we’ve come this far, with the throne within her grasp, won’t she be tempted to let her son ascend to the throne?”

"You can rest assured about this, Celestial Master," the elder said.

Zhang Daoyi said, "How can I be at ease? Empress Dowager Yan has a son, so she will definitely have the idea of ​​supporting her son to ascend the throne. I'm not at ease unless she kills Prince Duan, then I'll really be at ease... Hmm?"

At this point, Zhang Daoyi was suddenly startled, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes, and said, "She wouldn't have really killed her son, would she?"

The elder clansman said in a low voice, "Half a month ago, Prince Duan suddenly fell seriously ill and died. I personally went to examine the body."

Zhang Daoyi took a deep breath and whispered, "That's ruthless. Could it be that they're planning to usurp the throne?"

The elder clan leader said, "Throughout history, has there ever been a woman who became emperor?"

Zhang Daoyi waved his whisk and began to break the formation, muttering, "It will take at least two hours to break it. I hope the emperor can hold out, but two hours is probably impossible!"

No wonder the human-faced monster appeared so conveniently; it deliberately lured that kid Gu Mo away. I wonder if he's finished dealing with him yet. I hope you can make it in time!

……

Ghost town, Sunken Sand Ferry.

Inside the town, Ye Jinglan was being besieged. He originally wanted to chase after Gu Mo, but the knife-wielding men in the town wouldn't let him go. Facing more than a thousand people, even though Gu Mo had already dealt with the strongest top experts, he was still a little scared.

He cultivates the true essence of martial arts, which relies on explosive power. Although his internal strength is also good, it is not an advantage and he is not suitable for group battles. He mainly focuses on one-on-one combat.

He was surrounded by so many people; he was exhausted to death.

Fortunately, Gu Mo sent him a telepathic message, telling him that he wouldn't go too far and would return soon to support him, which put Ye Jinglan at ease.

However, he still did not intend to fight to the death. He fought while looking for an opportunity to break out. Otherwise, he would be in big trouble when his internal energy was exhausted. His Heavenly Question Blade Technique was very strong. He was a master of martial arts and even killed the former tenth-ranked monk of the Qian Kingdom, Master Dingchan.

But so what? How many stabs can he deliver?

Killing a second- or third-rate, or even insignificant, swordsman like him would be a sure thing, but then what? He'd kill a few dozen people, exhaust his inner energy, and then get hacked to death by a hail of blades?

Ye Jinglan truly felt helpless.

Back when he was a gangster, he could kill ten or eight enemies and they would scatter. Even if they didn't scatter, he had a large group of followers behind him, so he wasn't afraid at all.

Now, although the people in this ghost town are martial arts practitioners, they are all very strange. Even though their leaders are dead, they have not scattered in a panic, which is obviously different from ordinary martial arts practitioners.

If it weren't for Gu Mo's safety net, he really wouldn't have dared to make a move from the very beginning, given his reluctance to use his ultimate trump card.

at this time,

Outside Chensha Ferry, a human-faced monster carrying a mad sword charged forward at high speed.

The human-faced monster was fast, but Gu Mo was even faster.

The human-faced monster had barely run out of the town when Gu Mo chased after it. However, the human-faced monster stopped at the edge of the quicksand outside the town.

Gu Mo quickly chased after him and sensed a person standing in the quicksand.

In fact, there was indeed one person...

It was an old man with a white beard wearing a straw hat, sitting in a small boat. Strangely enough, the small boat was slowly drifting in the quicksand, as if the water below were flowing instead of quicksand.

The volatile human-faced beast had become remarkably calm, as gentle as a cat, and had even lay down on the ground. The notoriously uncontrollable, indiscriminately killing Mad Swordsman jumped off the beast's back and began kowtowing repeatedly to the white-bearded old man.

The small boat slowly approached the shore.

The white-bearded old man stepped off the boat, raised his hand, and Mad Sword immediately stood up and stood respectfully to the side.

The white-bearded old man cupped his hands towards Gu Mo and said, "This old man is overwhelmed with gratitude and greets Hero Gu."

Gu Mo was slightly taken aback and said, "You're not even going to act anymore?"

Yan Busheng is a name that carries considerable weight in the martial arts world. He is the top expert of the Yan family, to which Empress Dowager Yan belongs, and is also her elder brother. He once served as the General of Chariots and Cavalry of the Qian Kingdom, but because he never won a battle, he was ridiculed as Yan Busheng (meaning "Yan Who Never Wins"), and people jokingly said that he rose to power through his sister's connections.

To spur himself on, Yan Busheng simply changed his name to Yan Busheng and began to study military books diligently. After five years of intensive study, he finally regained the opportunity to lead troops. Then, he lost again, and lost completely.

Ashamed, he resigned from his post.

However, although he was poor at leading troops in battle, he was very strong in martial arts. He was one of the top ten masters in the Qian Kingdom army back then. After resigning from his official post, he learned martial arts techniques. No one knows how high his martial arts skills are. However, the name Yan Busheng has gradually acquired another meaning: neither winning nor losing.

Because of Empress Dowager Yan, the Yan family became a thorn in the side of many, and numerous martial arts masters challenged them. Yan Busheng still couldn't defeat those martial arts masters, and they always ended in a draw.

What few in the martial arts world know is that besides being the number one expert in the Yan family, Yan Busheng also has another identity: the most mysterious expert among the twelve commanders of the Imperial Night Guard.

This matter is a secret to most people in the world, but it's not for Gu Mo. The Imperial City Guard has confidential files recording it, and Ye Jinglan has investigated it. The Imperial Advisor Zhang Daoyi has also dealt with the boatman and knows it's Yan Busheng.

It is precisely because of his purely official status, and his difference from the Six Doors, that this person's strength would definitely be among the top ten of the Qian Kingdom's Heavenly Ranking.

……

Gu Mo hadn't expected Yan Busheng to show himself so directly. After all, although they all knew that the big boss behind the Ghost City was Empress Dowager Yan, or rather, the Yan family, they still had to put on an act on the surface. Just like when the boatman sabotaged the Imperial Preceptor's capture of the human-faced monster, they still had to use the guise of helping to cause trouble.

However, Yan Busheng now appeared directly in front of Gu Mo without even wearing a veil, and even introduced himself directly.

That's why Gu Mo asked out of curiosity, "You're not even going to act anymore?"

Upon hearing Gu Mo's words, Yan Busheng chuckled and cupped his hands, saying, "I have come to discuss matters with you with sincerity. If I were to hide my true intentions, wouldn't that seem insincere?"

"What do you want to talk about?" Gu Mo asked.

Yan Busheng said, "I've heard that you, Master Gu, have no interest in participating in court intrigues. You are neither a prince's man nor the emperor's man, and you have no real grudge against our Yan family. We are not destined to fight to the death. Therefore, I've come to talk to you, Master Gu, about whether we can let bygones be bygones and become friends. Afterwards, the Yan family will give you 100,000 taels of silver, plus a favor that can be as high as a second-rank official position. You can name anyone you want and make them whatever position they want, even a beggar. The only condition is that you stay here for one day."

Gu Mo said in a deep voice, "That's it?"

“That’s it,” Yan Busheng said.

“Sure,” Gu Mo readily agreed, then added, “I can stay here for a day, but I am the ghostwriter, and I must continue to fulfill my duties.” He pointed to the human-faced monster and the mad sword, saying, “These two are wanted criminals by the imperial court. I will kill them. Is that alright?”

Yan Busheng's face stiffened, and he said, "Master Gu, I am sincerely trying to talk to you."

Gu Mo said, "I'm sincerely agreeing to your request. I promise I can stay here for as long as I want. But that doesn't affect my ability to kill wanted criminals, right? I just confirmed with you that there's only one condition, and it doesn't include me not killing wanted criminals."

"Then I'll add one more: don't kill wanted criminals..."

“Then I disagree,” Gu Mo said. “You couldn’t possibly have not investigated me. Who in the martial arts world doesn’t know that my martial arts expertise lies in killing wanted criminals? Now, with a wanted criminal right in front of me, if you don’t let me kill him, you are ruining my martial arts future. This is a blood feud!”

Yan Busheng took a deep breath and said, "Hero Gu, let me tell you the truth. Things have changed outside, and a change is taking place in the palace. After today, the Yan family will rise to a higher level, and the situation in the Qian Kingdom will also undergo earth-shattering changes. You really don't need to make a blood feud with our Yan family for the sake of a moment of anger!"

Gu Mo chuckled and said, "However the Qian Kingdom changes, it has nothing to do with me. I have no intention of getting involved in court disputes, and I have no conflict of interest with your Yan family. Therefore, I have no intention of offending your Yan family. I am simply fulfilling my duty as a ghostwriter to kill wanted criminals. I am sincere. I don't even enter the court, so naturally there is no reason for me to make an enemy of your Yan family, right?"

Yan Busheng chuckled and said, "That makes sense, but this human-faced monster was cultivated at great cost, and this Mad Sword is my disciple, so I can't let you kill him."

"So there's no way to talk about it?"

“There’s room for discussion,” Yan Busheng said slowly. “You should be willing to compromise, Master Gu. Well, let me tell you something. Master Gu is currently in the palace, but rest assured, I’ve arranged for the Night Guard to protect her. She will not be harmed. So, Master Gu, is this favor worth it in exchange for your mercy in sparing the faceless beast and the Mad Sword?”

Gu Mo slowly said, "So...you...kidnapped my sister?"

Yan Busheng chuckled lightly, "It's just inviting Miss Gu to have a few cups of tea..."

Gu Mo's voice turned cold, but without much emotion. He slowly said, "I had no intention of being enemies with your Yan family, but now you are my enemies. You want to harm my sister? Then none of you will live!"

"Gu Mo, are you crazy? Don't you care about Chu Dong's safety?"

"Today, I'll use your Yan family to set an example for the world: you can mess with me, Gu Mo, but if you dare touch my sister, even if she's the Empress Dowager, I'll kill her without hesitation!"

Before he finished speaking, Gu Mo conjured a sword of true qi in his left hand and a saber of true qi in his right. He drew both sword and saber simultaneously. The sword was the Yi Sword Technique, and the saber was the Eight Heavenly Saber Techniques.

In an instant, the world changed color, and the chessboard world descended with a roar. Black and white chess pieces fell like stars, tearing the surrounding space into a sixty-four-square killing array. The boatman's pupils shrank, only to see the crimson flame blade light breaking through the array. The blade's momentum was like splitting the heavens and earth, and the void shattered inch by inch wherever it passed, carrying a world-destroying pressure as it rushed straight towards them.

The boatman roared to the sky, his hands churning like a dragon in flight, and the yellow sand behind him suddenly began to boil.

The towering sand dunes transformed into towering walls of waves, with the faces of ferocious beasts faintly emerging from within them. The crests of the waves gleamed with an eerie light, like countless sand blades gleaming coldly in the moonlight. The roar of the surging waves was deafening, and wherever they passed, the air was compressed into piercing screams. The entire desert trembled under the weight of these magnificent sand waves.

Gu Mo's swords clashed, the golden chessboard surrounding him collided violently with the crimson blade light.

The sand waves shattered inch by inch under this terrifying force, turning into dust that scattered in all directions.

The boatman was so shaken by the aftershocks that he coughed up blood and was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, disappearing into the quicksand in an instant, leaving only a cascade of yellow sand falling from the sky.

But at that very moment, a sudden change occurred!
The ground beneath Gu Mo's feet churned as if alive, transforming into a massive sand vortex. Its suction force, like a whirlpool or black hole, yanked him in. The sand vortex spun rapidly, whipping up a tornado tens of meters high, sending sand and dust swirling through the air.

At the same time, the human-faced monster roared to the sky, leaped into the air, and opened its blood-red maw to bite at Gu Mo's head. Every hair on its body stood on end, transforming into thousands of steel needles that shot out, whistling through the air wherever they passed.

Gu Mo's innate qi erupted, like a silver sun suddenly expanding. A dazzling silver light, like a cascading galaxy, burst forth from his dantian. The innate qi materialized, like a newly born silver sun bursting forth. Wherever the silver light touched, the air emitted a piercing cracking sound, and the sand and gravel within a radius of ten feet were shattered into dust.

He instantly soared into the air, his aura surging like a raging dragon, and the void beneath his feet suddenly cracked open like a spiderweb. His palms transformed into afterimages, churning wildly, and the air seemed to groan under the immense pressure, as if a thousand chains were being snapped.

In an instant, a purple-gold vortex exploded in his palm, from which a golden core the size of a pigeon egg slowly rose. The true energy on its surface flowed wildly like boiling molten gold, and each flow was accompanied by a slight tremor in the space, as if it had condensed the violent energy of the entire world into it.

The moment this golden elixir appeared, the surrounding air instantly froze. The human-faced demon beast instinctively let out a terrified howl, but was gripped by an invisible force.

The golden core, trailing a scarlet tail of flame, tore through the dark space at such speed that it left only a distorted afterimage before disappearing into the gaping maw of the human-faced monster in the blink of an eye.

The veins on the monster's neck bulged as it tried in vain to vomit out the golden core, but the core seemed to burrow into its internal organs as if it were alive, and exploded in its belly with a bang—the entire world shook violently with this loud noise, and the monster's huge body was like glass being crushed by an invisible giant hand, turning into a rain of blood and bits of flesh, mixed with sand and gravel, falling down in a rustling sound.

At this moment,

A system notification sounded in Gu Mo's mind:
[Slaying a six-star wanted criminal]

[Received a six-star reward - Max level Heavenly Will Four Symbols Technique]

[Whether to receive it]

……

Gu Mo paid little attention to the system, because at this moment, the quicksand on the ground, within a radius of dozens of feet, was like a boiling oil pot being stirred by an invisible giant hand. First, fine ripples appeared on the surface, and then the sand grains began to tremble violently. A muffled rumble came from underground, as if ten thousand giant beasts were roaring in the depths, and countless sand blades spun rapidly in the airflow, emitting a piercing shriek wherever they passed.

Gu Mo was trapped in the infernal sandstorm, as if he had fallen into the belly of a giant python. The rapidly surging sand, carrying gravel, roared towards him like thousands of arrows, tightly binding him. His innate qi formed a silver-white barrier around him, but it rippled under the impact of the sandstorm. The quicksand crashed against his qi, bursting into dazzling sparks, each collision accompanied by a deafening roar, like a thousand horses fighting right beside his ears.

A small boat darted through the air like a ghost. The boatman, oar in hand, appeared and disappeared, each time striking precisely where the protective aura was weak. The oar collided with the aura, unleashing a deafening roar that thinned the protective aura barrier.

"Humph!"

Gu Mo's cold snort was like an ice-cold blade tearing through the air.

The moment his palms shot out, a roar like the cry of a dragon and the howl of a tiger erupted from his dantian. The surrounding air converged wildly like rivers flowing into the sea, and a golden core with flowing crimson-gold patterns condensed in his palms. A wisp of blood-red flame suddenly appeared on the surface of the core. The flame seemed to have a mind of its own, twisting and turning, and even the void rippled with scorched black ripples wherever it passed.

The moment the fire-elemental golden core left his hand, the entire world instantly transformed into a fiery inferno. The eerie blue flames surged with the force of a wildfire, transforming in the blink of an eye into a sea of ​​fire that blotted out the sky. The fire waves danced like countless fiery dragons, instantly vaporizing the sand in their wake, and the rising heat distorted space itself.

In an instant, the world of quicksand turned into a sea of ​​fire, with magma-like flames surging forth, instantly evaporating the sand waves wherever they went.

The boatman's small boat was instantly reduced to ashes in the flames, the flames tearing at his body like countless fire snakes.

The boatman fled in a disheveled state.

Gu Mo seized the opportunity to pursue relentlessly.

Just as he burst out of the sea of ​​fire, a cold light pierced through the air! Mad Sword appeared like a ghost, his broken sword carrying a sword intent that could tear through the void, as fast as lightning and as powerful as thunder.

Gu Mo struck out with both palms, unleashing a deafening dragon's roar as a fire dragon roared forth. The sword intent collided with the fire dragon, the force of the impact scattering and distorting space itself. Ultimately, the fire dragon was shattered by the sword intent, transforming into a sky full of sparks.

Mad Sword's broken sword pierced fiercely into his protective qi. Just as he was about to exert his strength, a strange palm print came from the side.

The palm print traced a strange arc in the air before striking Mad Sword's neck with pinpoint accuracy.

This was Gu Mo's Ambidextrous Technique, using the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms in one hand and the White Rainbow Palm Force in the other. The White Rainbow Palm Force was all about unpredictability and flexibility.

With a "crack" sound, Mad Sword's neck caved in, his head slammed into his shoulder at an odd angle, and he fell like a rag doll into the burning quicksand, instantly engulfed by flames.

At this moment,

A system notification sounded in Gu Mo's mind:
【Kill the five-star wanted criminal】

[Receive a five-star reward - Max level Thousand Leaves Flying Flower Flow]

[Whether to receive it]

……

"Yan Busheng, where are you running to?"

Gu Mo's roar was like thunder from the heavens. Wherever the sound waves passed, the yellow sand, which had been scorched by flames, swirled back and soared into the sky in a fan shape, and the stalactites in the underground cave fell down in a flurry.

At this moment, Yan Busheng was running rapidly towards the town when he heard Gu Mo's voice, which almost made his heart stop. But he didn't dare to stop for a moment and ran at a speed he had never run before in his life.

"Guards! Stop him! Stop him!"

As Yan Busheng rushed into the town, he let out a hysterical roar, summoning a dense horde of swordsmen, and then hid in the crowd.

Yan Busheng was in a terrible state. His clothes had been burned to ashes, leaving only his inner armor. He was almost completely naked, and his wounds were burned and still bleeding.

He watched Gu Mo fly towards him like a ghost and shouted in panic, "Gu Mo, stop now! Stop now! You've already killed Mad Sword and the Human-Faced Beast. If you kill me too, there will be no turning back!"

"Not only will I kill you, but Empress Dowager Yan will also die today. If my sister is even slightly injured, I will chop your entire Yan family into pieces, even if you are just an earthworm!"

With a roar, Gu Mo descended from the sky, instantly sending more than a dozen swordsmen flying. He quickly raised his hand, and dozens of swords flew up in an instant.

Yan Busheng was filled with regret and wished he could slap himself a few times. Why did he have to be so stupid as to say he was going to kidnap Gu Chudong?

But he also felt even more wronged.
Gu Mo, you're such a good fighter, why didn't you say so earlier? You should have said so sooner!
now,

Seeing dozens of swords and blades flying around Gu Mo, the many swordsmen became frightened. Yan Busheng immediately shouted, "What are you afraid of? Gu Mo is just one person, while there are hundreds of us here. He might not be able to kill all of us before he runs out of true energy. Let's fight him!"

With Yan Busheng's command...
The numerous swordsmen actually charged towards Gu Mo.

"Humph!"

With Gu Mo's deep shout, the space within a radius of twenty feet suddenly froze, the air solidified, and even the sand grains that were kicked up were suspended in mid-air, like a frozen painting. All colors in the world faded away, leaving only black, white, and gray intertwined, immersing the entire battlefield in a somber ink painting.

The swordsmen, still in their slashing stances, stood with their eyes wide open but could no longer move an inch; the expressions of fear and resentment on their faces were permanently sealed away.

Gu Mo stood with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering even without wind. His pale face appeared even more stern in the black and white world, like a judge from the underworld coming to claim his life.

He flicked his finger, and countless swords flew out in response, drawn by this invisible force, shooting out like locusts in a swarm.

The sound of blades slicing through the air was deafening. The blades sliced ​​through the stagnant air, drawing sharp black lines in the black and white world. In an instant, blood mist spurted from the necks of the swordsmen, their heads tumbling off like broken kites. But the sea of ​​blades did not stop; carrying an overwhelming killing intent, it aimed directly for Yan Busheng's throat!
With a wave of his hand, Yan Busheng conjured a protective aura around himself, blocking the swords and blades. He shouted, "Gu Mo, I surrender! I guarantee your sister will not be harmed. Let's stop here..."

Gu Mo grabbed a knife in mid-air.

With a single slash, a massive blade shadow descended, instantly shattering and collapsing Yan Busheng's protective aura. A thin line of blood appeared on his forehead, then spread rapidly, and his body exploded in two, falling to the ground.

Then,

Gu Mo didn't linger and shouted, "Brother Ye, let's go!"

The sound has not yet fallen,

Gu Mo rushed out, dozens of swords and blades flying around him, killing and slashing. Wherever he passed, screams of agony filled the air, limbs flew everywhere, and blood flowed like rivers.

When he rushed to Ye Jinglan's side,

The streets were littered with corpses.

As Ye Jinglan looked at the bloody and terrifying scenes, a chill ran through her, and her temples throbbed.

Looking at the murderous aura and imposing presence emanating from Gu Mo, he couldn't help but feel fear. This was the first time he had ever felt such pressure since his debut, making him unable to muster any will to resist.

"Damn it, I hope nothing bad happens to Chu Dong!"

He couldn't imagine who could control Gu Mo in this state, who had fallen into demonic possession. Blood would flow like rivers, and lives would be lost. The capital city would probably be washed in blood!
(End of this chapter)