Chapter 461: Dead End

At this moment, the other Embroidered Uniform Guards also understood what was happening. They exchanged glances, each seeing the determination in their comrades' eyes, and quickly said to Huang Huihong: "Commander Huang, you take the imperial prisoners and retreat. We'll cover your escape!"

Huang Huihong frowned but did not refuse. He nodded heavily, unable to speak at this moment, only signaling with his eyes: "Brothers, take care!"

Every Embroidered Uniform Guard had undergone brutal training. Their personal lives were long since disregarded; the most important thing was to complete the mission assigned by the Emperor.

Therefore, neither the other Embroidered Uniform Guards nor Huang Huihong himself hesitated. They decisively chose to implement this strategy.

Huang Huihong directly threw the people from the prisoner cart into the carriage, then drove the carriage, beginning to gallop wildly.

The other Night Elves quickly tried to pursue but were blocked by the three remaining Embroidered Uniform Guards.

Although the Night Elves and their allies had a combat advantage, the Embroidered Uniform Guards were all rigorously trained masters. Now, with a death-defying resolve, they blocked the way fearlessly, making it difficult for the Night Elves to break through their defense quickly.

One of the Night Elf leaders angrily looked at the old Dragon Clan member: "Why didn't you stop them!"

The old Dragon Clan member calmly replied: "My only responsibility was to handle the Embroidered Uniform Guards' invocation of the imperial decree. That task is now complete; the rest is up to you."

After speaking, he turned and left directly. Although he walked slowly, after only a few steps, he completely vanished into the depths of the mountain forest.

The Night Elf leader's expression shifted between anger and resignation. Ultimately, he dared not provoke the old Dragon Clan member, so he suppressed his fury and charged towards the three Embroidered Uniform Guards.

The three Embroidered Uniform Guards were vastly outnumbered; it was already a miracle they had held out this long. Their bodies were already soaked in blood.

The Night Elf leader snorted coldly, leaving an afterimage behind. His true form instantly turned transparent, and soon sword lights flashed all around. When he reappeared, the three Embroidered Uniform Guards were covered in fatal wounds, blood gushing from them. They then collapsed heavily onto the ground, becoming lifeless corpses.

"Pursue!" the Night Elf leader commanded, not sparing them another glance. Instead, he immediately led his people in pursuit, heading in the direction the carriage had vanished.

Inside the carriage, which was still speeding wildly, Zu An couldn't help but open the door and complain: "I say, why can't this ritual for invoking the imperial decree be a bit simpler? You insist on so many ceremonies and so much talk. Now you're experiencing the consequences, aren't you?"

Huang Huihong: "..."

Rage value from Huang Huihong: 444!

He was fuming at the moment. The frustration of being able to defeat the opponents but forced to hold back his ultimate moves was incredibly vexing, and Zu An's words only added fuel to the fire.

Sang Hong, beside him, explained: "You can't blame Commander Huang for this. This ritual was likely set by the Emperor."

Zu An made an "oh" sound: "I get it. The Emperor must love to show off and deliberately makes his subordinates put on such a grand display to boast about him. He probably didn't expect it to backfire on his people."

Huang Huihong: "..."

Sang Hong frowned: "Watch your words. Speaking ill of the Emperor behind his back is an act of great disrespect."

"The Emperor can't hear us anyway," Zu An said dismissively. "Even if he's supposedly the strongest in the world, he's far from omniscient and omnipotent. Otherwise, he would have just acted directly in that situation and eliminated those Night Elves and the old Dragon Clan member, and those other Embroidered Uniform Guards wouldn't have had to die."

Huang Huihong: "..."

Sang Qian, at his side, snorted: "You show no reverence at all. The Emperor naturally has his own considerations for such arrangements, which are beyond the comprehension of someone at your level."

Zu An smiled: "Listening to Young Master Sang, you must know exactly what the Emperor is thinking. Please enlighten me."

Sang Qian's face flushed: "I already said the Emperor has his own considerations. How dare I presume to guess the imperial will?"

"Tsk," Zu An said with a look of disdain. "I despise people like you the most—those who act like they know everything but can't explain anything when asked. You blindly worship the rich and powerful, thinking that even their farts are profound insights."

"You!" Sang Qian roared, furious at being chastised like this in front of his wife. He stood up, ready to fight Zu An to the death.

Rage value from Sang Qian: 999!

However, his father stopped him: "Enough. What time is it for you two to be arguing here? Commander Huang, at such a critical moment, aren't you going to release our restraints and let us help you?"

Huang Huihong's expression shifted between light and shadow, clearly engaged in an intense internal struggle.

He knew perfectly well that Sang Hong's cultivation could be helpful. But once they were unrestrained, who knew if they would help or simply flee immediately? At that point, everything would be beyond his control.

If they merely ran away by themselves, that would be one thing. But if they also abducted Zu An, he wouldn't be able to stop them.

Considering the animosity between Sang Qian and Zu An throughout their journey, if their restraints were removed, they might even kill Zu An first. In that scenario, he would have no way to account for it, even with a thousand deaths.

Just then, a streak of black light shot towards them. Huang Huihong quickly dodged to the side; though he avoided a vital spot, a burst of blood still blossomed on his shoulder.

A wisp of black mist spread from his shoulder, indicating the arrowhead was poisoned.

Huang Huihong quickly pulled out a bottle of medicine and swallowed it, barely suppressing the poison. Having come from the imperial city, he was well-equipped.

By this time, eight Night Elves had surrounded them. Learning from their previous mistake, they immediately took up positions on all sides to prevent another escape attempt.

The Night Elves snorted coldly: "Run, then. Let's see where you can go this time."

Huang Huihong's eyes were filled with rage. The presence of these individuals here proved that his three companions had sacrificed themselves.

Zu An glanced around, somewhat surprised: "Hmm, why isn't that old Dragon Clan member here anymore?"

Sang Hong replied: "The Dragon Clan has always remained aloof from worldly affairs. Presumably, they don't wish to get overly involved."

"Oh, so they want to get involved but still maintain their virtuous facade," Zu An summarized. "Now that he's gone, can Huang Huihong invoke the imperial decree freely?"

Sang Hong gave a bitter smile: "It's not that easy. He was just hit by the old man's Silence Command. It looks like he won't be able to speak for at least an hour. In that much time, we'd be dead eight hundred times over."

Zu An made an "oh" sound, lost in thought. "So, the Command spells can be used this way. Doesn't that mean I'm safe from both Command spells and the Embroidered Uniform Guards invoking the imperial decree...?"

At this moment, Sang Hong looked at Zu An curiously: "Why aren't you flustered at all?"

"What?" Zu An didn't immediately react.

Sang Hong continued: "I've been watching you since earlier. There's never been a trace of fear on your face. You should know that in this situation, let alone Huang Huihong outside, even I, who have lived most of my life and consider my composure quite good, still feel a sense of dread. Yet, you show no signs of nervousness whatsoever."

At his words, Zheng Dan, Sang Qian, and even Huang Huihong looked at him curiously.

Zu An laughed heartily: "This is called the protagonist's aura: remaining unfazed even when mountains collapse before you. You guys can't learn this."

Sang Hong and the others: "..."

The Night Elves opposite them clearly didn't want to waste any more time. Their leader stated grimly: "Kill everyone except Zu An... Hmm, you can keep the woman too."

Zheng Dan was already beautiful, and in her bridal attire, she appeared even more captivating, alluring even to them.

Such a beautiful woman could be thoroughly enjoyed, and after tiring of her, she could be sold for a high price.

Although Zheng Dan didn't know their thoughts, seeing their lecherous gazes made her feel completely uncomfortable. She instinctively moved closer to Zu An, finding a brief moment of peace only when nestled beside him.

Her movement was subtle but did not escape Sang Hong's notice. Observing this, he couldn't help but frown.

Sang Qian, meanwhile, closed his mouth, thinking: "Since I'm currently posing as Zu An, my life should be safe for now, and it looks like Zheng Dan will also survive. After this, I'll just wait for my sister to come and rescue us. But can my sister really defeat these people...?"

Knowing it was the most critical moment, Huang Huihong was about to release Sang Hong's restraints when suddenly, a charming and pleasant female voice echoed through the air: "I didn't expect it to be so lively here."