Chapter 614: A Shocking Blow

Zu'an had been worried that Qiu Honglei's master would be cut in half on the spot, but in the blink of an eye, the situation dramatically changed, and the tables were turned. Zhu Xie Chixin didn't appear to be seriously injured and seemed ready to continue fighting.

What concerned him more were the three words Zhu Xie Chixin had just spoken: Grandmaster!

This woman was a Grandmaster?

Wouldn't escaping a Grandmaster's attack unscathed be something he could brag about?

The long-haired woman offered no reply. With a casual wave of her hand, Qiu Honglei and the other cult members, who had been covering the rear and were surrounded, were lifted by a gentle force and instantly flew out of the East Palace grounds.

Zhu Xie Chixin quickly issued commands: "Guo Zhi, take your men and escort the Crown Prince to a safe zone. Zhao Yuan, lead your troops to pursue the assassins. Gold Medal Eleven, take the Embroidered Uniform Guards here to inform the generals at each palace gate about the situation. Ensure not a single assassin escapes; kill anyone who resists!"

The Forbidden Army in the imperial palace was primarily divided into four branches: the Left and Right Guards, the Guerrilla Division, and the Elite Cavalry.

Guo Zhi was the General of the Right Guard, while Zhao Yuan served as the Guerrilla General. Zhao Yuan was also a distant member of the imperial family.

With so many events unfolding in the palace today, the entire Forbidden Army was in disarray. The whereabouts of the Left Guard General and the Elite Cavalry General were unknown – perhaps with the Empress or elsewhere; they certainly hadn't appeared yet.

Guo Zhi and Zhao Yuan had just arrived with their troops.

All four generals were Rank Eight masters. With Zhu Xie Chixin engaging the long-haired woman, the most skilled assassin, the other generals would be sufficient to suppress the remaining attackers.

"Yes!" the two generals responded in unison, accepting the command. Although Zhu Xie Chixin's official rank might not surpass theirs, his unique status as the emperor's trusted confidant naturally granted him authority over them.

At the same time, both generals looked at Zu'an with curiosity. There had always only been ten Gold Medal Envoys; when had an eleventh appeared?

Zu'an secretly groaned, "I only came to observe, why is everything being pushed onto me?"

However, a thought struck him: this was a perfect opportunity to see if Qiu Honglei had escaped. He therefore accepted the order gladly.

As he walked past the Crown Princess, she suddenly spoke, "Master Eleven, be careful."

Zu'an paused, slightly surprised, but still cupped his hands and replied, "Thank you, Crown Princess."

He then departed quickly, but not before glancing back at the long-haired woman suspended in mid-air. Her robes billowed, radiating a brilliance like the moon in the sky, yet she was as ethereal and elusive as an invisible cloud.

"Ah, when will I achieve such an imposing presence?"

Yet, she wasn't flying very high. He suddenly recalled that a grand formation in the capital city prevented cultivators from flying freely; that must be why.

He gathered his thoughts and swiftly dispatched the Embroidered Uniform Guards who accompanied him, instructing them to notify the guards at each palace gate.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards looked surprised. "Don't you need anyone by your side, sir?" they asked.

Zu'an waved his hand dismissively. "The leader of the assassins is being dealt with by Master Zhu Xie. The other assassins are no match for me. You, however, will benefit more from traveling in pairs for mutual support."

Since he intended to save Qiu Honglei, he naturally didn't want anyone accompanying him and getting in the way.

The other Embroidered Uniform Guards, oblivious to his true motives, were instead filled with admiration. They believed Gold Medal Envoys were indeed highly skilled individuals, and many had witnessed his capabilities in the East Palace earlier, leaving no room for doubt.

"Thank you for your consideration, Master Eleven!"

After expressing their gratitude, the group of Embroidered Uniform Guards swiftly departed towards the various palace gates.

Recalling the tearful gratitude in their eyes as they left, Zu'an almost chuckled. It felt wonderful to "sell them out" while they thanked him for it.

He quickly composed himself and began his search for Qiu Honglei.

He recalled the long-haired woman sending Qiu Honglei and her group eastward, so he instinctively hurried in that direction. He wasn't sure if he would find Qiu Honglei, or even if she had already exited the palace. All he could do was his best and leave the rest to fate.

After an unknown period of travel, he suddenly heard sounds of fighting nearby. His heart quickened, and he swiftly headed towards the commotion.

Arriving near a rockery, he saw a squad of guards besieging several black-clad figures. The black-clad individuals were desperately trying to cover the escape of one of their companions.

"Qiu Honglei!" Zu'an recognized her instantly. They had just engaged in a prolonged fight, so it was easy to identify her, even through her veil.

He looked at the guards, and his heart suddenly sank. These were no ordinary soldiers; they were clustered around a golden-armored leader whose armor resembled that of General Guo Zhi of the Right Guard and General Zhao Yuan of the Guerrilla Division, clearly indicating he was of the same rank.

"It must be Cheng Xiong, General of the Left Guard," Zu'an quickly concluded. A Rank Eight master!

The odds were already stacked against them. With the addition of Cheng Xiong, a Rank Eight master, Qiu Honglei and her group quickly faltered. If not for the master who had previously engaged the Crown Prince's Tutor in the East Palace, they might not have been able to resist at all.

However, the demonic cult master was clearly exhausted from his earlier battle in the East Palace and no match for Cheng Xiong, who was in peak condition.

With their other companions either dead or captured, the demonic cult master, seeing the dire situation, urgently seized Qiu Honglei's shoulder and forcefully propelled her away. "Go!" he urged.

Qiu Honglei's beautiful eyes were filled with tears, but she knew this was no time for sentiment. Biting her lip, she desperately channeled her vital energy and fled, determined not to let her companions' sacrifices be in vain.

Cheng Xiong, however, sneered, "Where do you think you're going?"

He took the opportunity to strike the demonic cult master's chest with a palm. The cult master immediately crumpled to the ground, and before he could even rise, the surrounding guards' blades were already pressed against his neck.

Cheng Xiong did not pause, continuing his pursuit in the direction Qiu Honglei had fled. He was confident he could catch her within three breaths; after all, she was merely a Rank Six cultivator, and the difference in their power was immense.

Feeling the rush of air from behind, Qiu Honglei knew her pursuer was rapidly closing in, and a sense of despair washed over her.

A pang of resentment struck her: "That scoundrel risked his life to protect the Crown Princess, yet when I'm in trouble, he's nowhere to be found."

Of course, she knew such resentment was unreasonable. After leaving the East Palace, they had dispersed in various directions to avoid being entirely captured. Her group, however, had been particularly unlucky, running directly into the Left Guard General who was leading his troops.

Even she hadn't anticipated such ill fortune, so how could Zu'an possibly know? Besides, the imperial palace was so vast that even if he had wanted to find her, he wouldn't have been able to.

She touched the dagger at her waist, a flicker of grim determination crossing her face. If other companions were captured, they could still follow the pre-arranged plan to pretend to be King Qi's people, as all participating in this mission were fearless elites.

Unfortunately, while others could be captured, she could not. First, her status in the cult was unique; second, she was a woman, and a very beautiful one at that. If captured, there was no telling what humiliating indignities she might suffer.

Thus, before the attack, she had resolved to die. Her fellow cult members were willing to sacrifice their lives for a grand ideal, so why should she be an exception?

Her only regret was not seeing "that guy" before her death...

Just then, a fiery greatsword, dozens of meters long, cleaved towards her. Her face paled; the imperial palace was indeed teeming with masters. This time, she might not even get her wish to die.

To her surprise, however, the incoming fiery greatsword did not strike her but cleaved past her side and continued behind her, directly intercepting the pursuing Cheng Xiong.

Cheng Xiong was greatly alarmed. He immediately crossed his arms, the steel rings on his forearms spinning rapidly and emitting a piercing sound. Then, he abruptly spread his hands, and a massive tiger shadow erupted from his body, roaring as it lunged towards the fiery greatsword.

With a thunderous boom, many nearby rockeries and trees were reduced to dust. He waved his hand, clearing the billowing smoke and dust, but the assassin was nowhere to be seen.

At that moment, an incredibly terrifying pressure suddenly erupted from the direction of the East Palace. Even with his cultivation, Cheng Xiong nearly collapsed to his knees. His face filled with shock, he gazed in horror towards the East Palace. "Has the Emperor made his move? Who in the world is worthy of his full power?"