I've announced that I'm destined to have many children, and my father has bestowed upon me

As the cold voice fell, the giant hand formed from spiritual energy slammed down on the carriage with earth-shattering power!

The terrifying pressure froze the air, the earth trembled, and sand and gravel were swept high into the sky.

"Form ranks! Defend against the enemy!"

The guard leader let out a heart-wrenching roar, and the six hundred elite soldiers did not hesitate for a moment.

The spiritual energy within his body surged out wildly, instantly converging into a thick light screen that blocked the convoy.

boom!

The giant hand collided violently with the light screen, producing a deafening roar.

The light barrier lasted for less than a breath before shattering into countless specks of light.

puff!puff!puff!

The hundreds of guards at the forefront didn't even have time to scream before their bodies exploded into a bloody mist in the terrifying aftershocks.

Blood stained the Gobi Desert red, and severed limbs were scattered everywhere, creating an extremely horrific scene.

This is the power of a Four Extremes Realm expert!

The power of that single strike was terrifying!

"Damn it!"

Li Qingluan gritted her teeth, her spear humming as it unleashed a barrage of spear shadows in an attempt to stop the man in black.

But she was ultimately only at the peak of the Dao Palace Realm, with an insurmountable chasm separating her from the Four Extremes Realm.

The man in black simply waved his hand casually, and those sharp gun shadows vanished like bubbles.

He didn't even glance at Li Qingluan. With a flicker of his figure, he reappeared above the convoy and struck down with his palm once more.

This palm strike was even more terrifying than the last one!

"Your Highness! Your Highness! Let's go!"

The surviving guards, their eyes bloodshot, disregarded their injuries and burned with renewed vigor, trying to buy Zhao Chen'an a chance to survive.

They knew very well that they couldn't stop them, but not one of them backed down.

"Walk?"

Inside the carriage, Zhao Chen'an lifted the curtain and looked at the hellish scene before him.

Looking at the guards who were so fearless in protecting him, a surge of adrenaline rushed to his head.

He shielded the panicked Wulanxue behind him, slowly stepped down from the carriage, and stood side by side with Li Qingluan.

Upon seeing this, Li Qingluan immediately became anxious.

"Husband! What are you doing out here! Go back inside!"

While fending off the attacks of the surrounding Dao Palace Realm assassins, she anxiously shouted:

"Take Wulanxue and run! I'll hold them off!"

Zhao Chen'an shook his head. Looking at the woman in front of him, who was holding a long spear and looked heroic but was covered in blood, a strange emotion welled up in his heart.

"I can't fight."

His voice was calm, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly.

"But I will not abandon my woman, nor will I abandon the brothers who risked their lives for me!"

Everyone was stunned by these words.

Those guards who were already resigned to death shuddered violently upon hearing these words.

They looked at the man who was usually easygoing and carefree, but now stood up straight.

Standing at the very front, the sixteenth prince felt an indescribable surge of pride and emotion fill his chest.

It's worth dying for such a lord!

"We swear to protect the Prince with our lives!"

"kill!!"

The surviving guards roared in fury, their morale soaring to its peak. They charged at the assassins, forming a final line of defense with their own flesh and blood.

Li Qingluan's body trembled slightly. She turned around and gave Zhao Chen'an a deep look.

This man seemed completely different from what she had imagined.

The man in black robes remained unmoved by all of this; in his view, these were merely the last struggles of ants.

He raised his palm, gathering terrifying spiritual power once more, ready to end it all completely.

At this critical moment.

A clear, melodious, yet somewhat arrogant and disdainful girl's voice drifted from the horizon.

"How dare these cowardly rats, hiding their heads and tails, indiscriminately slaughter innocent people here?"

"Seeing that I, this young lady, have intervened to help those in need!"

Before he finished speaking, a dazzling azure sword light tore through the sky and slashed straight at the black-robed man with extreme speed!

The sword light was sharp and fierce, carrying an aura of razor-sharpness that could cut through anything!

The man in black robes was startled. He could no longer deal with Zhao Chen'an and struck out with his palm, colliding fiercely with the cyan sword light.

Boom!

Another deafening roar followed, and a violent energy storm swept in all directions, scraping away a layer of the ground.

A graceful figure landed gracefully and stood in front of the convoy.

She was a girl who looked no more than eighteen or nineteen years old, wearing a light blue dress.

With an exquisitely beautiful face and ethereal temperament, she held a long sword that shimmered with azure light, like a celestial maiden descended to earth.

It was Xiao Chuchu who escaped from the Xiao family!

She had only wanted to find a place to test the speed of her new flying sword, but she never expected to stumble upon this ambush.

Driven by her dream of chivalry and justice, she acted without hesitation.

The man in black robes looked at Xiao Chuchu, who had suddenly appeared, and a hint of seriousness flashed in his cold eyes.

This girl is actually a fourth-level expert!

"Who are you? And why are you interfering in our affairs?"

The man in black robes spoke coldly, trying to find out where the other party came from.

Who do you care who I am?

Xiao Chuchu pointed her long sword, displaying a rather chivalrous demeanor.

"I just don't like you guys! What kind of heroes are you, ganging up on the few with numbers!"

Having said that, she stopped talking nonsense and moved to attack the man in black.

In an instant, sword energy surged and spiritual power rippled!

The battle between two experts at the fourth level of the realm directly turned this Gobi Desert into a forbidden zone, and the heavens and earth changed color.

Seeing this, Li Qingluan's spirits lifted, and she immediately shouted:

"Regroup! Let's take care of these weaklings first!"

With Xiao Chuchu holding off the strongest enemy, the remaining Dao Palace Realm assassins...

For the elite guards of the Great Zhou, they were no longer an invincible opponent.

The guards quickly formed a battle formation and, led by Li Qingluan, launched a fierce counterattack.

The tide of battle turned in an instant!

The more the man in black fought, the more terrified he became.

The girl opposite was young, but her strength was ridiculously high, with exquisite skills and extraordinary swordsmanship.

Not only did he not gain any advantage, but he was also subtly suppressed.

What chilled him even more was that his men were falling one by one as Li Qingluan and her guards fought back.

Mission failed!

The moment this thought crossed his mind, the man in black robes lost all will to fight.

He feinted, forcing Xiao Chuchu back, and then transformed into a wisp of black smoke, fleeing into the distance without hesitation.

"Trying to run? Not so easy!"

Xiao Chuchu shouted and was about to give chase.

However, to her surprise, the masked assassins who were left behind all stopped moving after seeing their leader escape.

They looked at each other, and then, without hesitation, chose to commit suicide!

Some shattered their own heart meridians, while others ingested pre-prepared deadly poison.

In just a few breaths, all the assassins fell to the ground, their lives extinguished.

The scene was a mess, littered with corpses.

Xiao Chuchu stopped in her tracks, looking at this scene, her beautiful brows furrowing slightly.

These assassins were incredibly decisive, leaving absolutely no survivors.

After the battle, the surviving guards breathed a sigh of relief, collapsed to the ground, and gasped for breath.

Zhao Chen'an straightened his robes, then led Li Qingluan to Xiao Chuchu.

He solemnly bowed to the girl who had saved his life.

"I am Zhao Chen'an, the King of Wei of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

"Thank you so much for your kindness in saving my life. I will never forget it."

Li Qingluan also bowed. Although she was wary of the mysterious woman who had suddenly appeared, it was true that she had saved them.

Xiao Chuchu had just won a tough battle and was in the best mood.

She waved her hand, about to say something polite like, "You're welcome, it was nothing."

But when she heard the other person's self-introduction clearly, she froze.

The Great Zhou Dynasty...King Wei...Zhao Chen'an?

This... isn't this the guy who was supposed to marry me?!

The person you ran away from?!

Xiao Chuchu's smile froze instantly, she was completely stunned, and her mind went blank.

How could it be him!

I was doing a good deed, but I ended up saving the people who wanted to take me back to marry me?

What kind of nonsense is this!

Zhao Chen'an looked at the girl's colorful expressions, somewhat puzzled.

"girl?"

"ah?!"

Xiao Chuchu seemed to wake from a dream and waved her hand in a panic.

"No...it's nothing! I just saw someone in need and wanted to help. You're welcome! I have to go now!"

All she wanted to do was get out of this awkward place as soon as possible.

After saying that, she no longer cared about being a female knight-errant. She turned around and transformed into a streak of blue light, disappearing into the horizon without looking back. Her speed was even three times faster than when she came.

Zhao Chen'an and Li Qingluan were left staring at each other, completely bewildered.

……

On the other side, Xiao Chuchu flew hundreds of miles in one breath before finding a secluded valley to land in.

She leaned against a large rock, clutching her pounding heart, her face flushed.

This is so embarrassing! Absolutely so embarrassing!

My first time venturing into the martial world, my first time upholding justice, and I ended up encountering this kind of socially fatal situation.

She was so ashamed she couldn't face anyone!

but……

For some reason, the scene from just now involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

That guy named Zhao Chen'an, who was clearly just an ordinary person who couldn't cultivate, was able to stand up without changing his expression when facing a sure-kill attack from a Four Extremes Realm expert.

He said he would not give up on his woman.

He said he would not abandon the brothers who were fighting for him.

That composure, that sense of responsibility, that unwavering commitment to sharing life and death with the soldiers…

As Xiao Chuchu thought about it, her cheeks grew even hotter.

From a young age, all she heard about were how powerful geniuses were and how they slew demons and monsters, but no one ever told her that a man's true charm might not lie in how strong his cultivation was.

"Hmph, at least he has some backbone..."

The girl kicked a small pebble away and muttered to herself.

"However... he was willing to risk his life for Li Qingluan, so he doesn't seem like such a bad person after all..."

"Maybe... this guy isn't so bad after all?"

……

Meanwhile, high in the sky, deep within the clouds.

A towering figure in a dragon robe stood with his hands behind his back, taking in everything that was happening in the Gobi Desert below.

It was none other than the Emperor of the Great Zhou, Zhao Daoting, who had been secretly following behind.

As he watched Xiao Chuchu flee in a panic, the shrewd and calculating emperor revealed a subtle smile.

"That old man from the Xiao family is still a man of his word."

He muttered to himself.

"Sure enough, he managed to trick his precious daughter into coming out."

"An'er, the road ahead is up to you."

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure slowly disappeared, as if he had never existed.

……

The Xiao family.

In the elegant courtyard, Zhao Chenyu suddenly slammed the teacup in his hand to the ground, making a crisp sound.

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"

His face was contorted; his morbid excitement had long been replaced by boundless rage.

He just received the message.

The assassination attempt failed!

The four-level experts they sent out were intercepted midway. Not only did they fail to kill Zhao Chen'an, but they also lost all their subordinates there!

"How could we fail? How could we possibly fail!"

Zhao Chenyu paced back and forth irritably, his heart filled with incomprehension and violence.

For this ambush, His Highness the Crown Prince used a precious hidden weapon—a four-level assassin who had been lying in wait for many years!

That's it? Gone just like that?

According to the plan, as soon as Zhao Chen'an dies, his father, Emperor Zhao Daoting, will be furious and will definitely come to the border of Great Xia to demand an explanation.

At that time, His Highness the Crown Prince will personally take action and kill the Emperor with lightning speed!

Then, with the support of the Great Xia Dynasty, Zhao Chenyu could rightfully return to the Great Zhou Dynasty and ascend the throne as emperor!

What a perfect plan!

But now, things have gone wrong right from the very first step!

If Zhao Chen'an is not dead, the Emperor will not be angered, and will not easily leave the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

All subsequent plans became empty talk!

Just as Zhao Chenyu was getting furious, a man in black appeared silently behind him and knelt on one knee.

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince has given an order."

Zhao Chenyu turned around abruptly.

The man in black handed over a jade slip and whispered, "His Highness the Crown Prince says the plan remains unchanged. No matter what, we must kill Zhao Chen'an before he arrives at the Xiao family!"

anyway?

Zhao Chenyu crushed the jade slip in his hand, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.

It seems that His Highness the Crown Prince is already dissatisfied with his handling of the matter.

If he fails to complete the mission, his value as the "future emperor" will likely be greatly diminished.

He couldn't wait any longer, and he couldn't rely on anyone else!

Zhao Chenyu took a deep breath and shouted in a deep voice towards the door.

"Guards! Summon Guard Lin and Guard Zhang to see me immediately!"

A moment later, two middle-aged men with imposing auras entered the courtyard, both radiating the powerful pressure of the Fourth Extreme Realm.

This was his last trump card, and also a powerful figure that Crown Prince Lu Yuchun had specially placed by his side to protect him.

Looking at the two people in front of him, Zhao Chenyu's face showed a crazy and resolute look.

If it doesn't work the first time, then try again!

This time, he's going in person!

"Sixteenth brother, you forced me to do this!"

He gritted his teeth and squeezed out a few words.

"Let's go!"