Chapter 2632: Bottom Card

Zu An didn't want to see someone he once knew die this way. With a casual flick of his hand, he pulled the person aside, helping them evade Zhao Yuan's fatal attack.

Upon hearing this, Zu An was also quite surprised: "He's the leader of the Shadow Pavilion?"

The Shadow Pavilion had always been the most mysterious assassin organization in the world. Even the powerful Embroidered Uniform Emissaries could, at best, only seal off some of its branch offices, but they had never been able to uncover the identity of its leader. Previous speculation suggested the Shadow Pavilion leader was likely within the imperial palace, but this had never been confirmed.

Zu An recalled that Zhao Yuan had always been one of the imperial guard commanders. As a member of the royal family, his influence was certainly not to be underestimated. Yet, he had consistently maintained a low profile, almost completely inconspicuous. This low profile had an advantage: over the years, almost all the prominent figures in the palace had met with misfortune, leaving only him standing firm. If not for the last rebellion in the capital, he would likely still be commanding the imperial guards. If he truly was the Shadow Pavilion leader, then many things would finally make sense.

Not only Zu An, but everyone else present stared at Zhao Yuan in astonishment, never having imagined he was the world's most mysterious figure.

Zhao Yuan looked towards Jing Li, and for the first time, a trace of bitter venom appeared in his eyes: "I should have known better than to let a bastard like you live." At this point, there was no longer any need to deny it.

Hearing his admission, the crowd erupted in an uproar. Before Zu An's sudden emergence, the Shadow Pavilion's reputation was so formidable that many high-ranking court officials were extremely wary of them, fearing their assassins might one day slit their throats. The King of Yan glanced at Zhao Yuan with a shiver of fear, realizing he had been in close proximity to this great devil for so long and had even occasionally flaunted his power in front of him.

"You seem quite confident," Zu An remarked, surprised by Zhao Yuan's ready admission, as if he had a hidden advantage.

"If not for your sudden appearance, this world would already be mine," Zhao Yuan stated, a hint of regret flickering across his face.

Zu An's heart stirred. "You don't seem to be referring only to my appearance at this moment, do you?"

"Of course not. Your appearances over the years have disrupted my entire plan," Zhao Yuan said, as if these words had been held in his heart for a long time, finally finding an outlet. "I am merely a distant member of the royal family. Normally, even if the Zhao dynasty changed a thousand times, the throne would never be mine. But without your presence, after the late Emperor's passing, the Crown Prince would have been weak, and the Crown Princess and Empress, who already had deep-seated conflicts, would have inevitably engaged in a life-and-death struggle with their respective families, even without external instigation. The highly prestigious King Qi's faction had always coveted the throne, and among the other princes, there was no shortage of ambitious individuals—like the former King Wu and the current King Yan. Normally, this widespread chaos should have erupted many years ago!"

Zu An stated coldly, "Only then would you have had your opportunity, wouldn't you?"

"It's all because of you that King Qi's faction withdrew prematurely; the Crown Princess and Empress, who had a history of animosity, actually turned from enemies to friends. And who would have thought that these two formidable women would both be conquered by you at the same time..."

Zu An's face flushed. "Don't just spout nonsense!" In front of so many eyes, one had to consider the implications. Noticing many people secretly glancing at her, Bi Linglong forced herself to maintain a calm expression, though inwardly she wished for a crack in the ground to swallow her whole.

Zhao Yuan continued, "Ambitious figures like King Wu were directly suppressed by you, and most of the late Emperor's sons essentially fell at your hands. Many of the prominent families in the capital, ridden with internal conflicts, were also eradicated by you, causing years of my meticulous arrangements to completely unravel."

"You intended to exploit the conflicts among the various prominent families and princes, inciting them to fight each other, and then reap the benefits. After all, once the direct imperial lineage and princes suffered heavy casualties, that would be an opportunity for a distant royal family member like yourself," Zu An mused, roughly having guessed the other's plan.

"Precisely, but all of it changed because of your emergence," Zhao Yuan said, a trace of hatred in his eyes as he looked at Zu An. "However, the heavens favor the diligent. Last time, I finally got my chance to incite Bi Qi against the Liu family, which was part of a plan I'd laid out many years ago. I never imagined that in the end, you would still spoil everything."

Bi Linglong's expression changed instantly upon hearing this. The last rebellion in the capital had almost completely destroyed both the Bi and Liu families; it turned out this man was behind it all.

Zu An frowned. "Wasn't that caused by the demons from beyond the heavens last time? So you had already pledged allegiance to them?"

"Demons from beyond the heavens? What are they, that I would pledge allegiance to them?" Zhao Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, his tone laced with arrogance.

"In that case, I'm eager to try," Zu An said. As he spoke, a golden sword qi suddenly materialized beside Zhao Yuan. This sword strike was intended only to sever Zhao Yuan's arm, not to take his life, as there were too many unanswered questions about him.

At that moment, a black mist suddenly appeared around Zhao Yuan, effortlessly dissolving the golden sword qi.

Among the rebel forces, bursts of cheers erupted. Aside from the majority of ordinary soldiers who had been coerced, all their high-ranking officers were members of the Zhao imperial family, and they knew that defeat meant no chance of survival. Although Zhao Yuan was the leader of the Shadow Pavilion, he was still a member of the Zhao royal family. For them, his victory was undeniably preferable to falling into Zu An's hands. Having witnessed everything that had just transpired, they had all been on the brink of despair. So, seeing someone capable of resisting Zu An, how could they not be excited? Just moments ago, the four powerful Eight Dukes were suppressed in an instant. Yet now, King Guangling could effortlessly dissipate Zu An's sword strike! Furthermore, the composure he displayed subtly instilled immense confidence in them.

Witnessing this scene, the King of Yan felt even more like a clown, while Zu An, however, was greatly surprised: "The Power of Annihilation?" This power was not unfamiliar to him; he had encountered it in the demon world, where an entire realm was being ravaged by a terrifying Doomsday Beast, a powerful entity on the path of Annihilation. The path of Annihilation posits that all things in the universe will ultimately return to nothingness, a terrifying concept known throughout countless realms. He never expected Zhao Yuan to be capable of wielding the Power of Annihilation!

Zhao Yuan seemed somewhat surprised. "I didn't expect you to have heard of my Lord's fearsome reputation. In that case, if you are willing to pledge allegiance, I can speak favorably of you before my Lord and accept you as a believer."

As he spoke, spatial rifts suddenly opened in the void, and black-clad assassins stepped out, subtly forming a circle around Zu An. Each of them was enveloped in swirling black mist, brimming with the Power of Annihilation. Many onlookers immediately felt their hearts churn. They didn't understand what the Power of Annihilation was, but they recognized these figures as assassins from the Shadow Pavilion. Judging by their attire, they were its most elite, ace assassins.

Every ace assassin of the Shadow Pavilion was a legendary figure, considered the best in the assassin world, each possessing the strength to assassinate a prince. Naturally, while these ace assassins were formidable to most people in the world, no one truly believed they could pose a significant threat to the Regent King. Yet, the aura now emanating from these assassins was even more potent than that of the Eight Dukes who had just been present.

Everyone was on the verge of losing their minds. Was the true strength of the Shadow Pavilion really this terrifying?