Starting with a blind date with a female constable, you acquire the Nine Swords of Dugu.

Chapter 185 One Hand: Empress Dowager, One Hand: Eldest Princess

A torrential downpour began without warning.

But when the raindrops fell in mid-air, they made a series of crisp "crackling" sounds. Each raindrop condensed into an ice crystal as it fell, turning from round to pointed, and in an instant, it transformed into millions of tiny ice cones, which poured down on the ground.

Yan Kunlun looked up and his pupils suddenly contracted.

He subconsciously activated his true energy, and the surface of the Nine Tribulations Battle Armor shone brightly with silver light. A thick layer of protective energy exploded from his body, shattering the ice spikes into dust.

However, the dust did not dissipate. Instead, it rapidly condensed and merged in the air, then spread, turning into a thin layer of ice film that adhered to the surface of his qi. It then quickly froze, thickening and strengthening in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, he was encased in an ice sculpture over ten feet tall, his head tilted back and fist raised, the shock and anger on his face frozen beneath the transparent ice.

"roar--!

'

Yan Kunlun roared, his true energy suddenly erupting, and the ice sculpture shattered from the inside out, scattering ice fragments everywhere.

Before the shattered ice shards could even hit the ground, more ice spikes fell from the air, freezing and stacking upon contact with him, eventually covering his entire body.

One layer crumbles, two layers solidify; two layers crumble, three layers cover again. The ice layer grows thicker and thicker, and the freezing speed increases rapidly, so rapidly that even the gaps in his bursts of true energy cannot completely clear it away.

What alarmed Yan Kunlun even more was that the ice powder had a significant suppressive effect on his true energy. Every time the ice layer shattered, a fine chill seeped into his meridians through the gaps in his armor, making his true energy circulation sluggish and stagnant, like ink soaked in warm water, becoming increasingly difficult to circulate.

"What the hell is this thing?" Yan Kunlun's voice came from within the layers of ice, deep and filled with disbelief and anger.

On the other side, Zhang Jiexi stood at the edge of the collapsed Taihe Hall ruins. The rain fell on him for about three feet and then seemed to hit an invisible wall, sliding away silently without even wetting the hem of his clothes.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze piercing through the icy cones and surging air currents, landing on Empress Dowager Yuwen on a distant rooftop, where she was forming hand seals. He sighed softly, his tone carrying a hint of surprise and admiration: "I never imagined that the Yuwen family's Profound Ice Technique would have such a rain-summoning method. Impressive, truly impressive—General Yan, we may be in some trouble."

Empress Dowager Yuwen stood on the rooftop, her hands forming a magic seal. A void array hovered above her head, emitting a mechanical whirring sound. She said coldly, "Zhang Jiexi, I entered the palace at the age of fourteen, and it has been twenty-six years now. I have been here for a full twenty-six years, and you actually dare to dream of killing me in the palace?"

Zhang Jiexi sighed and said, "Now it seems I was indeed overestimating myself!"

"Left Prime Minister!"

'

On the other side, Yan Kunlun's eyes widened when he heard Zhang Jiexi's words. He shattered the ice layer with a punch and roared breathlessly, "Don't mess with me! Didn't you already reach the Ascension Realm? You can't even break this formation?"

.

Zhang Jiexi shook his head slightly, his tone unhurried: "General, I am merely ascending to immortality, not becoming a hermit. The Empress Dowager has mobilized the earth's energy throughout the entire palace; she can precisely control every single drop of this rain. Every movement we make is equivalent to carrying the weight of millions of pounds. Unless I can move the entire palace, there's no way I can break through."

As he spoke, his gaze shifted slightly, and he said, "Besides, I'm not good at using brute force; that's your specialty!"

Yan Kunlun glanced at the tightly closed vermilion palace gate hundreds of feet away and said, "You call me a brute, huh? Fine, as long as you break open the palace gate and let the army in, I can use the momentum of the army to break this formation!"

6

Zhang Jiexi said, "Then I'll give it my all!"

Before he finished speaking, Zhang Jiexi had already moved. He moved like a wisp of smoke blown by the wind, weaving through the icicles at an unbelievable speed. The icicles melted silently within three feet of him, as if the area he walked on was a world unto itself, where no amount of ice could get close to him.

"Left Prime Minister! Didn't you say you couldn't move a finger?" Yan Kunlun cursed as he watched the figure weaving through the rain.

Zhang Jiexi didn't turn his head, his voice carrying clearly through the wind and rain: "I didn't say I couldn't move. I said I can't break the formation, nor can I take anyone away. But within my immediate vicinity, I am a self-contained world, where everyone is an enemy. This pressure doesn't limit me much—"

'

He didn't finish his sentence.

In the void, the rain suddenly parted to both sides. A terrifying ice sword pierced through the air, its blade several meters long, crystal clear, carrying a bone-chilling cold and a fierce sword intent, like an ice river falling from the sky, slashing fiercely down towards Zhang Jiexi's head.

Zhang Jiexi raised his hand and unleashed a massive palm print that soared into the air, meeting the ice sword head-on.

"boom--!

'

The palm print and the ice sword collided in mid-air, creating a surge of air, scattering shards of ice, and causing the entire palace floor to tremble.

Yuwen Yong's figure burst forth from behind the ice sword, his form like a wisp of wind, instantly appearing above Zhang Jiexi's head. He stomped down with his right foot, carrying immense true energy and the power of the earth's veins, shattering Zhang Jiexi's palm print and forcing him to fall to the ground.

Zhang Jiexi landed back on the ground, his feet leaving two deep footprints on the blue bricks. With a forceful jolt, he sent Yuwen Yong flying. Then he sighed slightly, "Alright, I take back what I just said. I'm being suppressed quite a bit now."

Yuwen Yong, holding a broken sword, stood on a wall, looking down at everyone with a cold expression: "I'd like to see how you manage to turn everyone into an enemy state so close at hand."

'

Zhang Jiexi sighed and said, "Brother Yuwen, why don't you let me out? Then I'll let you see me. I can't operate freely here; I'm being suppressed! The Empress Dowager has her own realm, which is far stronger than my tiny world!"

After saying that, Zhang Jiexi flashed away, flying to the left like a wisp of green smoke.

But Yuwen Yong was even faster. In this area shrouded by Empress Dowager Yuwen's earth vein array, his movements seemed to merge with the spiritual energy of the entire palace. One moment he was in mid-air, and the next he had already appeared in front of Zhang Jiexi's path, his broken sword slashing out horizontally, the sword light like a bolt of lightning.

Zhang Jiexi had no choice but to stop, extending two fingers to catch the sword light. The two streams of true energy collided fiercely between his fingertips and the sword's edge, unleashing visible shockwaves that dispersed the surrounding rain.

"In this realm," Yuwen Yong's voice echoed in the wind and rain, like the unchanging tolling of an ancient bell, "do you think you can be faster than me?"

The two exchanged blows quickly, each collision cracking the ground and each misstep sending up shards of ice and surging air currents.

Yuwen Yong's sword was also greatly enhanced, allowing him to steadily suppress Zhang Jiexi.

Meanwhile, Wei Tanjin had already crawled out of the ruins. He shook off the dust and broken bricks from his robes, wiped the mud off his face, and looked at Yan Kunlun, who was being troubled by layers of ice, and couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh.

"Yan Kunlun!" He took a step forward, his Primordial Heavenly Will True Qi surging like a tide. "Now that you've lost the advantage of the Nine Tribulations Battle Armor, we're even. Let's have a proper fight!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he sprang up, his palms brimming with powerful true energy, and slammed towards Yan Kunlun head-on.

"You eunuch, to hell with fairness! If you have the guts to make the Demon Queen dismantle the formation, I'll immediately take off my armor and fight you!"

Yan Kunlun roared, shattering the ice on his body, and threw a punch to meet the attack.

The two figures clashed violently in the rain. The air burst forth where their fists and palms met, and the rain was shaken into a white mist that was then scattered by the strong wind.

In the distance, Zhao Mingce sat under the eaves of a corridor that had not yet completely collapsed, holding half a melon in his hands, gazing at the devastated battlefield in the distance, and narrowed his eyes slightly.

A faint purple glow flashed deep within his pupils as he asked, "Minister Shen, who do you think will win?"

Shen Qingqiu said, "Now it seems there's not much suspense left; the Empress Dowager has won!"

Zhao Mingce shook his head slightly and said, "No, the Empress Dowager is doomed to lose. The Left Prime Minister is not that simple. Knowing him as I do, he is definitely plotting something bad right now."

Shen Qingqiu exclaimed in surprise, "What do you mean? Your Majesty, are you saying the Left Chancellor was faking it?"

"Hmm." Zhao Mingce nodded and said, "He's definitely faking it."

Shen Qingqiu's expression changed slightly. He looked at Zhao Mingce and said, "Your Majesty, I know you have always supported the Left Prime Minister. However, the Left Prime Minister's wolfish ambitions are obvious. If he wins, it will not benefit you. These are my sincere words. If I have offended you in any way, I humbly beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

“There was no conflict,” Zhao Mingce said. “I know what you said is true and correct, so I secretly helped the Empress Dowager in a small way.”

Shen Qingqiu asked in surprise, "What kind of busy?"

"I've informed Alliance Leader Gu!"

Qingyu Lane, within the manor.

Gu Guanqi was reading when he suddenly heard a short meow coming from the top of the wall.

He looked up and saw a large, fat orange cat with glossy fur perched on the wall, tilting its head to look at him. The cat was plump and round, looking like a fluffy ball on the wall, but its amber eyes were unusually bright and were staring at him without blinking.

Gu Guanqi was slightly taken aback.

He recognized the cat.

When Zhao Mingce visited yesterday, he was carrying this chubby orange cat in his arms. Its plump body and lazy demeanor were very distinctive.

"Little guy, what are you doing here?" Gu Guanqi put down his book and beckoned to the cat.

As if it understood, the fat orange cat pushed off with its hind legs and leaped lightly down from the wall. It landed with hardly a sound and walked unhurriedly to the stone table. It looked up and meowed, then opened its mouth and spat out a small bamboo tube.

-

The bamboo tube was only the length of a finger joint, and was yellowish-green all over. One end was sealed with wax, and the surface was covered with a little cat saliva.

Gu Guanqi reached out and picked up the bamboo tube. With a gentle pinch of his fingertips, the wax seal shattered. He poured out a very thin strip of paper from inside, unfolded it, and found only one line of small characters on it. The ink was not yet dry, indicating that it had been written recently: "The capital city has changed today. The Left Chancellor and the Grand General have launched a coup. The Empress Dowager and Governor Wei are doomed."

The signature reads "Zhao Mingce".

Gu Guanqi looked at those words, his eyebrows slightly raised, then glanced at the fat orange dog squatting on the stone table licking its paws, and said in a low voice, "So the day of the decisive battle has arrived."

He gently clasped the paper in his palm, exhaled his inner energy, and the paper turned into fine powder that scattered with the wind.

Immediately, he stood up and reached into the room, making a grasping motion. The Autumn Water Sword, which had been hanging in the corner of the wall, seemed to be drawn by an invisible hand, popping out of its scabbard and landing in his palm in an arc.

Gu Guanqi strapped his longsword to his waist, patted his sleeves, and said to the fat orange dog licking its fur on the stone table, "Received. Your mission is complete."

The chubby orange cat meowed, whether it understood or not, then stretched, turned around, leaped onto the wall, and ran away along the blue tiles.

Gu Guanqi watched the orange figure disappear into the distance, then lightly touched the ground with his foot, his figure rising from the courtyard like a wisp of green smoke.

When the Wind God Leg first moved, there was not a sound of wind. It was only felt that the air within a few feet around him was slightly distorted for a moment before he had already reached the alley entrance. In another flash, he disappeared into the sunlight at the end of the long street.

Not a single tile on the eaves shook, as if only a gentle breeze had passed by.

At this time, in the imperial city.

The clouds churned overhead, creating a strange and unpredictable celestial phenomenon.

The battle raged fiercely within the palace.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony no longer exists.

The once magnificent palace is now nothing but ruins of rubble and broken beams. Broken vermilion pillars lie scattered across the blue brick floor, and shattered glazed tiles and broken weapons lie strewn among the stones. The place where civil and military officials usually held court is now a dusty battlefield.

In the center of the ruins, four figures were engaged in fierce combat. Empress Dowager Yuwen stood on the palace wall high behind the hall, with a phantom array plate formed from true energy floating above her head. The surface of the array plate was covered with intricate patterns, rotating like a star map.

Countless ice spikes poured down from the array plate, enveloping the entire battlefield.

Yuwen Yong, wielding a broken sword, moved with lightning speed, his movements in harmony with the earth's spiritual energy, weaving through the rain of icy spikes. His sword flashed fiercely, each strike...

The strikes were precisely aimed at Zhang Jiexi's vital points.

Zhang Jiexi's body circulated with true qi, creating a small world three feet in front of him. Ice spikes that fell into it melted silently, but Yuwen Yong's sword momentum pressed forward relentlessly, forcing him to retreat continuously. He caught Yuwen Yong's long sword between two fingers as it slashed down, his robes fluttering in the wind.

Meanwhile, Wei Tanjin was suppressing Yan Kunlun.

Yan Kunlun's Nine Tribulations Battle Armor was covered in cracks, and the silver-gray armor plates had broken off, revealing clothes stained with dust and blood underneath.

His breathing was heavy, and he staggered. Wei Tanjin punched him in the chest, sending him flying backward. His back slammed against the broken wall, sending shards of stone flying. He slid down the wall and collapsed onto the ground amidst the rubble.

Wei Tanjin, panting heavily, shouted in Zhang Jiexi's direction, "Zhang Jiexi, how long are you going to resist?"

Zhang Jiexi was startled.

However, in that moment of distraction, Yuwen Yong seized the opportunity and struck him with his sword, causing him to fall from the sky. When his feet landed, they carved two deep trenches in the blue bricks. As soon as he regained his footing, dozens of ice spikes rained down from the sky, freezing him completely.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Yuwen Yong rushed forward and thrust his long sword straight at the ice, the tip of the sword penetrating three-tenths of an inch into the ice.

This sword was an ordinary iron sword that he picked up casually from the ground, but at this moment, it was more powerful than any divine weapon.

Zhang Jiexi gripped the sword blade with both hands, the ice sealing him at the edge of the ruins. He leaned against a broken stone pillar, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, staring intently at Yuwen Yong.

Yuwen Yong channeled his inner energy, forcefully pressing down on his longsword as it thrust ever closer.

Zhang Jiexi gripped the sword tightly, his face contorted from the force. He tilted his head slightly, glancing at Yan Kunlun, who lay sprawled among the rubble in the distance.

At this moment, Yan Kunlun was being pinned to the ground and beaten by Wei Tanjin. His Nine Tribulations Armor had been completely shattered, and he was in a miserable state. Wei Tanjin then punched him in the head several times, causing his head to sink into the ground. His body went limp, and he was clearly dead.

At this moment, it seemed that the outcome was already decided.

Zhang Jiexi frowned, thinking to himself, "Could I have sensed something wrong? Is the new destiny not in Yan Kunlun? The chosen one is protected by the Heavenly Dao before the destiny is fulfilled, so they won't be defeated!"

Immediately, Zhang Jiexi's pupils contracted, and he turned to look at Yuwen Yong in front of him.

Yuwen Yong's longsword drew ever closer, almost touching Zhang Jiexi's heart.

Zhang Jiexi immediately thought to himself, "I can't keep pretending, otherwise—"

However, at that very moment, a sudden change occurred.

Yan Kunlun, who had almost no chance of survival, suddenly moved.

His body, like a crumpled and then smoothed-out sheet of paper, rose rapidly in an extremely bizarre manner, as if a sheet of rice paper was being torn and twisted by a storm. His limbs hung loosely, and his whole body floated off the ground, as if an invisible hand was lifting him up.

The face, which had been completely disfigured and dented, was restored to its original state at a speed visible to the naked eye. The muscles bulged again, the skin tightened again, and even the damaged blood vessels were reconnected and reshaped as if by an invisible hand.

"What the hell is that?!"

Wei Tanjin's eyes widened, her face filled with disbelief.

He knew Yan Kunlun's condition best; he could say with certainty that Yan Kunlun's life force had just been reduced to almost nothing.

But now, it has become full of life!

"How is this possible?" Wei Tanjin was shocked!

"Click" "Click" "————"

A series of dense crackling sounds, like dry firewood breaking, came from Yan Kunlun's body. It was the bones being reshaped, the muscles being regenerated, and the meridians being widened.

He floated in the air and suddenly opened his eyes. There was no longer any weariness in those eyes, but a restrained, calm light, like the faint light shining from the bottom of a deep pool.

"Hoo—" He exhaled a breath of stale air, the breath condensing into a white ribbon that shot three feet straight out before dissipating. "Wei Tanjin, you fought well, truly well. You actually broke through this shackle that has bound me for so many years!"

A hint of panic flashed in Wei Tanjin's eyes. He and Yan Kunlun were at the same level, and he knew that at their level, breaking through a level meant a world of difference!

"Yan Kunlun, stop playing tricks!"

Yan Kunlun cracked his neck, producing a crisp snapping sound. "Have you ever heard of a realm in Buddhism called the Great Vajra of the Celestial Being?"

Before he finished speaking, a deep and stagnant aura suddenly erupted from his body. The aura spread outwards like a tide from his body, causing the pebbles on the ground to bounce up, pause in mid-air, and then slowly drift down.

Behind him, a huge phantom slowly emerged. The phantom was seven or eight zhang tall, with a solemn face and lowered eyes, like an angry Vajra looking down on all living beings in a Buddhist temple, standing firm and unmoving.

Immediately, Yan Kunlun clenched his fists and leaped into the air.

The enormous Vajra phantom moved accordingly, its two fists striking out with a devastating force, smashing fiercely towards the array plate phantom in the void.

The countless ice spikes shattered upon contact with the fist's force, first breaking into ice shards, then being ground into dust by the powerful wind, turning into a misty white vapor that dispersed in all directions. The fist's force continued unabated, striking the array plate directly.

"boom--!"

A deafening roar shook the entire palace. The phantom array formed from the earth's spiritual energy cracked with countless fissures, spreading outwards like a spiderweb before collapsing with a deafening crash.

Above the sky, the rain that had enveloped the entire palace suddenly ceased. The thick, dark clouds visibly parted to the sides, and sunlight poured through the cracks, illuminating the imperial city once more.

The wind stopped, the rain ceased, and only lingering dust and moisture remained in the air.

Empress Dowager Yuwen stood atop the palace wall, her body suddenly staggering. A mouthful of blood spurted from her mouth, staining the front of her phoenix robe a glaring crimson. She staggered backward, nearly falling, staring in shock at the towering, godlike Vajra-like phantom in the air, her voice trembling: "How is this possible—"

After breaking through the formation with a single strike, Yan Kunlun did not pause.

He plummeted from the sky like a silver-gray meteor, carrying the lingering power of the Vajra phantom, and stepped down on Wei Tanjin, who had not yet fully risen.

Primordial Heavenly Will Technique!

Wei Tanjin's pupils shrank suddenly, and the Primordial Heavenly Will True Qi in his body circulated wildly, condensing into a solid protective aura around him. The aura was semi-transparent, with fine patterns flowing on its surface, like the patterns on a tortoise shell, completely protecting his entire body.

Yan Kunlun's kick landed.

"boom--!"

The moment the protective aura made contact with the soles of the feet, it was like glass being struck by a giant hammer. Cracks spread wildly outwards from the soles of the feet, and in the blink of an eye, it shattered and dissipated into countless fragments of light.

Wei Tanjin was pressed down by that immense force, as if he were being crushed head-on by an invisible mountain. His feet sank two deep pits into the blue bricks, his knees buckled, and he was forced to kneel on the ground, spitting out blood.

He struggled to stand up, but the lingering force of Yan Kunlun's kick felt like an invisible mountain pressing down on his shoulders, making it difficult even to lift his head. He braced himself with his palms on the ground, his fingertips digging deep into the cracks of the broken bricks, his knuckles turning white, but he still couldn't get up.

Meanwhile, Zhang Jiexi sensed the change the instant the array plate shattered.

His eyes suddenly lit up, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, and he said in a low voice, "It really was him. I wasn't wrong."

Immediately, he exerted force with both palms, and a surge of powerful true energy erupted from his body.

Yuwen Yong's heart trembled. The long sword in his hand hummed under the strain, then shattered into iron filings scattered all over the ground.

Then, Zhang Jiexi struck out with a palm, carrying an irresistible force.

Yuwen Yong blocked with his arm, but felt an overwhelming force slam into his arm. He was sent flying like a stone, his back hitting the broken wall behind him. He coughed up blood, slid to the ground, and could not get up again.

The tide of battle turned completely in that instant.

The Empress Dowager's side, which had just been in complete control, was now either injured or collapsed, leaving only Empress Dowager Yuwen standing on the rooftop, her face as pale as paper, her phoenix crown askew, her hair disheveled, and her eyes filled with panic.

"You wicked queen, prepare to die!"

Yan Kunlun shouted and lunged at Empress Dowager Yuwen, delivering a powerful punch.

That punch, carrying the residual power of the shattered array plate and the might of the Heavenly Vajra, was like an iron mountain falling from the heavens, carrying the killing intent to crush everything, and smashed straight down towards Empress Dowager Yuwen.

Before the fist imprint even reached him, the terrifying sense of oppression had already caused the glazed tiles on the palace walls to shatter inch by inch, scattering like rain.

Empress Dowager Yuwen's array had just collapsed and her blood and qi were churning, so she had no time to circulate her energy for defense. She could only watch as the enormous fist imprint drew ever closer, her pupils slightly contracting.

"Mother, retreat immediately!"

At that very moment, a cry of surprise rang out.

Immediately afterwards, a figure flew in from the side, like a red cloud swept up by the wind, blocking Empress Dowager Yuwen and the fist imprint.

It was Zhao Qingci.

Dressed in a scarlet palace gown, she quickly shielded Empress Dowager Yuwen behind her, then rapidly formed hand seals in front of her, channeling all her inner energy into her palms, transforming them into a solid crimson light screen to meet the descending fist imprint.

The light screen collided with the fist imprint.

In an instant, the crimson light curtain shattered like thin paper, turning into countless crimson specks of light that dissipated in the wind.

Zhao Qingci felt an overwhelming force surge towards her, her chest tightened, and a mouthful of blood, which she could no longer suppress, gushed from her throat, appearing particularly glaring in the face of that huge fist imprint.

"Celadon!"

Empress Dowager Yuwen exclaimed in surprise.

She gritted her teeth, raised her hands suddenly, and forcibly activated the last bit of true energy in her body, condensing it into a thin array plate in front of her to block the remaining force of that punch.

"Then let's die together!"

Yan Kunlun roared, his killing intent intensifying. His second punch followed immediately, faster, heavier, and more ferocious than before, carrying a terrifying force.

The array plate shattered with a deafening roar.

Empress Dowager Yuwen and Zhao Qingci both coughed up blood and flew backward.

At the same time, Zhang Jiexi on the ground also moved.

He reached out with his right hand and picked up two longswords from beside the two fallen corpses of imperial guards at his feet.

The sword was ordinary, but when infused with true energy, the blade gleamed with a pale golden luster, like two golden shooting stars, flying out of the hand and heading straight for Empress Dowager Yuwen and Zhao Qingci, who were still flying backward in mid-air.

One after the other, two deadly moves.

With nowhere to gain leverage in mid-air, Empress Dowager Yuwen was seriously injured, and Zhao Qingci was also exhausted.

The two longswords were about to pierce their bodies—

In the void, a white figure descended from the sky.

The figure descended at an incredibly fast speed, yet appeared remarkably composed to everyone, like a cloud blown away by the wind, or a tassel dangling from the moonlight.

Clad in white, her clothes fluttering in the wind.

It was Gu Guanqi.

He reached out with both hands at the same time, firmly putting his arms around Empress Dowager Yuwen and Zhao Qingci's shoulders, catching them both at the same time.

His movements were very gentle, and the two of them fell into his arms at the same time without suffering any impact injury.

At the same instant, a semi-transparent, shimmering white protective aura spread out from Gu Guanqi's body, like a lotus petal suddenly blooming, completely protecting the three of them.

The two longswords, gleaming with a pale golden light, pierced the protective aura. Where the sword tips touched the true energy, fine ripples erupted, the golden and white light colliding and emitting a sharp buzzing sound. Yet the protective aura remained completely still, not even a crack appeared.

Immediately afterwards, Gu Guanqi's internal energy fluctuated slightly, and the white light on the surface of the protective aura suddenly shone brightly. The two longswords shattered in response, turning into countless iron filings, which were scattered in all directions by the shockwave.

Empress Dowager Yuwen was half-embraced by Gu Guanqi, her body still in the slightly curled-up position she had been in when she fell, her nose almost brushing against his neck.

She subconsciously turned her head, and what came into view was Gu Guanqi's handsome profile.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the clouds, falling between his brow bone and the bridge of his nose, outlining a clean and crisp arc. His eyelashes were long, casting a faint shadow beneath his eyelids. His breathing was steady, and his expression was normal, as if the near-death experience had been nothing more than a common gust of wind and falling leaves.

Empress Dowager Yuwen was momentarily stunned.

"Alliance Leader Gu—"

Zhao Qingci's voice was somewhat weak, but she couldn't hide the light in her eyes as she said happily, "You've come."

Gu Guanqi glanced down at Zhao Qingci, then slowly floated down to the ground, and gently put the two of them down.

His movements remained unhurried and deliberate. He gathered his true energy in his palm, and the layer of shimmering white protective energy shield receded into his body like a tide, disappearing without a trace.

"Are you two alright?" he asked.

Empress Dowager Yuwen snapped out of her daze, quickly straightened up, and smoothed her disheveled hair, saying, "Thank you so much, Alliance Leader Gu, for saving my life!"

Zhao Qingci looked at Gu Guanqi, her eyes shining, and quickly said, "Alliance Leader Gu, I'm fine, nothing serious—"

""

Gu Guanqi nodded slightly and said, "Since there is no serious problem, then you two should step back. I will take care of this matter."

As he spoke, he took half a step forward, blocking the mother and daughter. The Autumn Water Sword swayed slightly at his waist with each step, and the patterns on the scabbard gleamed warmly in the sunlight.

Empress Dowager Yuwen watched Gu Guanqi's retreating figure and said urgently, "Alliance Leader Gu, those two are highly skilled—" She stopped there, knowing that further words would be pointless, and said softly, "Then you—be careful."

Gu Guanqi didn't turn around, but simply waved slightly and walked forward.

At this moment, Yan Kunlun had landed back on the ground, his feet leaving two deep pits in the rubble. The enormous Vajra phantom slowly condensed behind him, becoming even more solid than before, its eyes lowered, like a Buddha looking down upon the mortal world, yet carrying an inviolable and murderous aura.

Zhang Jiexi stood at the other end of the ruins, his robes fluttering gently in the wind, his face revealing neither joy nor anger. His gaze fell on Gu Guanqi, paused for a moment, and then he suddenly smiled slightly.

"You must be the Sword Immortal Gu Guanqi," Zhang Jiexi said calmly and in a composed tone. "We've finally met. I've been waiting for this day for a long time."

Gu Guanqi said, "I've waited for this day for a long time, and today it's time to settle things!"