Chapter 602: Flying Queen

Zu An was very familiar with this black light. On his journey from Mingyue City to the capital, he had encountered such things many times. These were assassin's crossbow bolts, much faster than regular arrows, covering more than half the room in an instant.

Eunuch Lu, who had been lurking unnoticed in the shadows, moved, stepping directly in front of the pearl curtain. With a sweep of his wide sleeve, the arrows, powerful enough to shatter stone tablets, were pulverized by a strange, soft force emanating from his sleeve.

He didn't hesitate, rushing out like lightning, clearly intending to quickly deal with the assassins outside.

In his view, this was the inner court of the imperial palace, so there wouldn't be many assassins. He believed he could quell the disturbance immediately with a swift, decisive suppression.

Unfortunately, he realized his mistake the moment he burst out; the area outside was swarming with assassins, locked in combat with the Kunning Palace guards.

"How is this possible?" Eunuch Lu was utterly shocked, even wondering if Prince Qi had rebelled and led his army into the palace.

However, his hands were quick; he snapped the necks of two assassins who got close. He was about to retreat, realizing that protecting the Empress was the immediate priority.

But there was no returning. Suddenly, one of the black-clad assassins charged at him, and in an instant, they exchanged three blows.

Eunuch Lu's heart tightened. "Ninth-grade!"

He dared not be careless. These assassins couldn't be measured by normal cultivation ranks; having long walked the line between life and death, their combat abilities were too formidable, often allowing them to assassinate opponents of higher ranks.

He quickly focused all his attention. After the initial panic, he had calmed down, realizing that these were not soldiers, and thus not Prince Qi's rebellion.

Judging by their methods, they appeared to be assassins from the Shadow Loft. Hmph, the Shadow Loft truly values money over life, daring to assassinate even the Empress!

He knew that if he could hold them off for a while, the imperial guards and army would react and surround them, ensuring the assassins' demise.

At this moment, Zu An was in a difficult situation. How was it that he encountered such events everywhere? Being attacked by assassins in the Empress's bedchamber? Who would believe it if he told them?

Yet, the fierce fighting and screams outside, along with the occasional blood spatter on the windows, all confirmed that this was real.

He couldn't help but glance back at the Empress behind the pearl curtain, finding her sitting there expressionless. Her face was slightly pale, but she was in much better shape than those beside her, who were trembling like sieves – the eunuchs and palace maids.

He specifically looked for Xiao Zhuozi and Xiao Guizi; they weren't among them, but huddled in a corner of the main hall, shivering. Clearly, their rank wasn't high enough to be so close to the Empress.

Just then, with a few crashes, the doors and windows burst open, and several imperial guards, covered in blood, stumbled inside.

Several black-clad assassins followed them in, immediately hacking wildly at the guards.

Xiao Zhuozi: "..."

Xiao Guizi: "..."

They trembled even more.

The black-clad assassins paid them no mind, glancing at the Empress behind the pearl curtain before rushing towards her, wielding their swords and sabers.

Eunuch Lu, who had been keeping an eye on the situation, swept his sleeve. The scattered swords and sabers on the floor shot out like lightning, instantly piercing the backs of the assassins charging the Empress, pinning them to the ground.

Zu An's heart turned cold. Ninth-grade masters could commune with the power of heaven and earth; the force and speed of their casual attacks were indeed beyond what ordinary people could resist.

It was important to note that the assassins who had just burst in were also skilled, yet they were instantly killed from such a distance?

Zu An had to feel fortunate. If not for his miraculous movement technique, "Sunflower Phantasm," which allowed him to avoid head-on confrontations, coupled with his numerous trump cards and cheats, he would have likely died a hundred times on his journey to the capital.

Just then, a muffled groan came from outside, clearly from Eunuch Lu. He had been distracted by the assassins inside, and his own opponent naturally wouldn't miss such a good opportunity, landing a heavy blow on him.

Eunuch Lu was instantly put in a difficult position. He barely managed to stabilize the situation but clearly had no more energy to spare for the hall's interior.

At that moment, another group of assassins rushed in, expressionlessly heading straight for the Empress.

Zu An sighed. He couldn't stand by idly. Firstly, he was now an imperial official, and secondly, he also held the rank of Embroidered Uniform Emissary. If he watched someone die without intervening, he would surely be held accountable later.

Of course, he wouldn't foolishly rush in to save her at the risk of his own life. He had no particular connection with the Empress, and furthermore, he didn't believe the Empress was entirely without means.

It was important to remember that this was a cultivation world, where status was often determined by cultivation level. Although he had been in this world for a while and gradually understood that this rule wasn't always strictly applied—many powerful families could still install mediocre descendants into official positions to live comfortably—overall, the principle of matching strength with status was followed. The Emperor was the strongest in the land, and while the Empress might not be the second strongest, she should also be a top master.

So he casually intercepted two assassins. One was fifth-grade, the other sixth-grade. If anyone questioned him later, he would have an explanation. After all, in most people's eyes, he was only fifth-grade, and simultaneously blocking two such opponents was already taking an immense life risk.

Some Kunning Palace guards also rushed in to help, but they were immediately intercepted by other assassins, leaving them to watch helplessly as the remaining assassins charged toward the Empress.

Zu An's eyelids twitched. Whose home turf was this, anyway? Why were there assassins everywhere, while the armored guards were outnumbered?

In the moment he was distracted, the four assassins had already reached the Empress.

The Empress's personal maids and eunuchs bravely stepped forward to protect her. After all, they were her personal attendants, and if something happened to the Empress, it would be a disaster for their entire families.

It was clear these individuals had some training, but having been sent to the palace as servants, their innate talent was undoubtedly not high. Although they had some cultivation, they were no match for these wolf-like assassins.

Soon, many screamed and fell into pools of blood.

The Empress's delicate brows furrowed, and she finally moved. A hand like white jade extended, its movement seemingly slow, yet the assassin opposite her couldn't dodge it at all, watching helplessly as the soft, beautiful palm pressed down on his head.

In his daily life, he loved to frequent pleasure houses, enjoying the service of young women's tender hands. The hand before him was more beautiful, fairer, and softer than any hand he had ever seen. If he encountered such a hand in a pleasure house, he would probably be ecstatic.

Now he was flying too; he felt his entire being become very, very light, and then... there was no then.

Everyone watched in stunned silence, even Zu An couldn't help but look on. Although he had expected the Empress to be strong, this was far too strong, wasn't it?

Immediately, the jade-like hand moved again, pressing directly towards another assassin's chest. That assassin desperately wanted to dodge but found the air around him had seemingly turned into solid walls. He couldn't move an inch, only able to watch in despair as the beautiful yet terrifying hand pressed closer.

To everyone's surprise, just as the hand was about to make contact, the pale hand suddenly paused, and then the Empress coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Zu An: "???"

The assassin who had narrowly escaped death was overjoyed. "She suffered qi deviation years ago, and her injuries never healed! Everyone, attack!"

As he spoke, he swung his fist forward, forcing the terrifying pale hand to recoil. The other assassins, who had previously been immobilized, now brandished their swords and sabers, attacking the Empress.

The Empress gritted her teeth; if not for her existing injuries, how could she let these petty thugs be so arrogant?

She quickly raised her hands to defend. Although her cultivation was difficult to raise, her eyesight remained sharp, allowing her to narrowly evade several of the assassins' killing blows.

However, she couldn't avoid the fist coming from behind. That fist glowed with a yellowish-brown light, indicating an earth-element cultivator, whose punches, empowered by the earth, weighed more than a thousand jun.

The punch landed squarely on her back. With a gasp, she coughed up another mouthful of blood, gathering her last reserves of strength to fly outwards.

She intended to use the force of that punch to propel herself outside, where Eunuch Lu and the Kunning Palace guards were, knowing they would be far more useful than the eunuchs and maids inside.

Unfortunately, she underestimated the severity of her long-standing internal injuries.

Midway through her flight, her vital energy suddenly depleted, and she plummeted directly from the air, landing squarely on Zu An below her.

Zu An instinctively caught her: "???"