The First Lackey Under The Empress

"Let's take a trip..."

At this moment, the setting sun was about to sink below the horizon, and the sky gradually darkened.

After Zhao Du'an calmly said these words, he saw that the middle-aged Taoist in front of him, though unfamiliar, was clearly the master of the Purple Cloud Palace, his eyes as deep and unfathomable as the sea.

Lu Zhengchun was very surprised.

Surprised by the abrupt and unheralded appearance of the other party.

As a member of the Kuangfu Society in the shadows, his identity had always been well hidden, and only a few high-ranking members within the Kuangfu Society knew about it.

He was also one of the members who had initially defected to the Second Prince, Jian Wen.

This time, Zhuang Xiaocheng wanted to lure Zhao Du'an to Fengcheng to complete the assassination, and Lu Zhengchun had his own calculations in mind:

He originally wanted to secretly take action to complete the hunt to the greatest extent, while also preserving his own Taoist temple.

Unexpectedly, before Zhuang Xiaocheng had sent any notification, this "King Yama Zhao" who had stirred up a storm in the capital last year had already led a large army to step onto the Purple Cloud Palace.

Lu Zhengchun still didn't know what had happened specifically, which link had gone wrong. Even more, he couldn't imagine that Zhao Du'an leading a large army with murderous intent to break into the mountain gate was just a "test".

Yes, a test!

Zhao Du'an wasn't sure how deep Lu Zhengchun's connection with the Kuangfu Society was. The reason he mobilized troops with great fanfare was to bluff the other party.

Thinking with normal logic, when Lu Zhengchun witnessed him leading troops with murderous intent to storm the Taoist temple, if Lu Zhengchun really had a problem, he would inevitably resist.

Instead of betting his life on the other party not knowing the truth.

This was an extremely simple logic, but it worked.

Therefore, when Lu Zhengchun looked at the army climbing the mountain from afar, he already realized that something was wrong, and sending a group of disciples to stop them was just to determine the other party's intentions.

At this moment, upon hearing the words "colluding with rebellious parties", his heart sank completely, confirming that it was a traitor within the Kuangfu Society who had leaked the news.

"What if I refuse?"

A trace of heartache flashed across Lu Zhengchun's eyes, knowing that after today, no matter who won or lost, the foundation he had built for many years would be reduced to ashes.

This resentment turned into anger and killing intent in his heart.

Zhao Du'an sighed and said, "Those who collude with rebellious parties shall be executed without mercy."

Lu Zhengchun laughed. He laughed somewhat wildly, his eyes full of disdain:

"Just relying on two initial-grade experts? Today, I will teach you to be buried with my dojo."

While speaking, the purple-robed Taoist suddenly raised his hand and grabbed, with his body as the center, majestic magic power flowed.

The ancient and simple giant memorial archway vibrated, the stone skin cracked and fell off, revealing the black stone inside.

"The flying swords are on top of the memorial archway!"

Haitang, with her keen eyes, cried out in a low voice.

Zhao Du'an raised his eyes and looked, only to discover that on top of the huge memorial archway inlaid with the three characters "Purple Cloud Palace" bestowed by the late emperor, there were actually seven unsheathed flying swords inserted haphazardly.

Lu Zhengchun's unique Dan Furnace Broken Sword Technique had an extremely low success rate. Sitting in Fengcheng, after decades of hard work, besides those given away, he had only forged these seven flying swords named after constellations.

This was also the reason why he didn't flee, but chose to stay in his own home ground, wanting to personally kill Zhao Du'an.

Lu Zhengchun raised his hand and beckoned, and the first gray flying sword on the memorial archway was picked up by him like a fallen leaf.

Then, expressionlessly, he flicked his wrist, and a sword shadow, many times faster and fiercer than the flying sword driven by the senior disciple at the waist of the mountain, tore through the air, wrapped in a sonic boom, and shot towards Zhao Du'an's face!

"Be careful!"

Haitang and Zhang Han spoke at the same time. Both of them were in the Divine Chapter Realm with considerable martial strength. However, facing this veteran powerhouse who had clearly entered the Mortal Realm for many years, they were completely unable to intervene.

So fierce... The faint golden bell around Zhao Du'an's body took shape in an instant, then expanded, enveloping the two comrades within the Buddhist spell.

The surface of the illusory bell rippled with golden light, with twisted Buddhist texts flowing on it.

However, this flying sword did not hit the golden bell, but was once again struck by Lang Shiba's curved blade.

But this time, the vicissitudes of the swordsman who flashed out like lightning no longer had the freehand style of easily defeating the Purple Cloud Palace's senior brother.

"Ding!"

The curved blade collided with the flying sword, holding it firmly. A majestic force tore through the air, forming countless chaotic air currents.

Lang Shiba's disheveled hair flew backward, his stubble-covered face was unusually solemn, his feet gripped the ground firmly, and his toes almost broke through his shoes.

But the next second, his face suddenly flushed red, his arm was like an electric shock, and his body suddenly flew backward. The flying sword knocked away the curved blade and slammed into his chest like a meteor.

"Clang!!!!!"

The clothes on Lang Shiba's chest instantly tore open a large hole, revealing bronze-colored skin, the surface of which was covered with a thick layer of Astral Qi.

The Astral Qi was quickly torn apart, and the surface of the skin cracked, oozing blood!

One sword broke the defense!

"Within the Mortal Realm, there are also highs and lows. This abbot kills you like killing chickens."

Lu Zhengchun was in high spirits, standing upright, with his left hand behind his back and his right hand forming a sword finger, manipulating the flying sword.

Smiling coldly, he pushed forward with two fingers, about to pierce into Lang Shiba's chest.

Unexpectedly, a pale, scarred hand, soaked in cold water, stretched out like a ghost and grabbed the flying sword.

With white pupils and red clothes, like a female ghost, Ji Yue was silent and almost sobbing in the air, using a strange posture to bypass Lang Shiba.

While grabbing the flying sword with one hand, "crack, crack", the surface of the flying sword was covered with frost, freezing it into a lump.

Lang Shiba took the opportunity to retreat, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Ji Yue was expressionless, her figure fluttering, and the ten fingers of both hands tapped repeatedly on the flying sword, covering it with layers of ice.

As a water god lineage arcanist, the Purple Cloud Palace's dojo greatly weakened her strength. There was no water flow around, and she could not cast many spells.

Lu Zhengchun snorted coldly, shook his wrist, and uttered a "break" word.

The frozen flying sword immediately broke through the ice, slashed through the bright sword light, and slashed towards Ji Yue's neck. The female arcanist's black hair wrapped around her head as if it had life, covering it layer upon layer, briefly resisting.

Lang Shiba once again pounced up, entangled with Ji Yue, who was not good at frontal combat, and this flying sword, which had terrifying lethality and terrifying speed.

"Brother Gongshu, I remember you told me before that flying swords are outdated..."

Zhao Du'an turned his head with a wooden face and looked at Gongshu Tianyuan.

The short, fat god's face showed embarrassment, and thinking that explanation was just covering up, he simply gave a cold look:

"Wait for me to capture this... Fuck!"

While speaking, Lu Zhengchun suddenly grabbed again with his left hand. On top of the memorial archway, the second black flying sword seemed to come alive, pulling half of its sword body out of the memorial archway.

After spinning in the air, it was like a cannonball out of the chamber, carrying the power of destruction, condescending, and killing towards Zhao Du'an.

"Wild Taoist sneaking attack..." Gongshu Tianyuan, carrying the fox fairy bamboo tube, was furious. He grabbed in his wide robe with his fat hand, and suddenly a golden rattle appeared in his hand.

As soon as the golden drum appeared, he shook it frantically.

"Dong dong dong dong dong..."

The drum sound was restless. In an instant, Zhao Du'an was surprised to see that with this rattle as the core, the space in all directions seemed to turn into "water", and began to produce wrinkles and ripples.

The air became viscous. Even if he stood still, he could feel the surrounding "sound" weaken at once.

It was as if sinking into the water, all the sounds were blocked, and infinite water wrapped him, any foreign object entering this area would be slowed down and delayed.

The speed of the black flying sword was originally difficult to capture with the naked eye, but when it pierced into the area covered by the drum sound, it was like a clay ox entering the sea, and it was forcibly slowed down countless times.

Zhao Du'an suddenly remembered the "bullet time" he had seen in a movie in his previous life.

At this moment, the time around him seemed to slow down, watching helplessly as the ancient, dark and sharp handleless flying sword slowly tore through the air, like an underwater torpedo, steadily approaching him.

"Brother Zhao, let me show you what is called a clear judgment!"

Gongshu Tianyuan raised his chin, fully showing the majestic appearance of a Tianshi Mansion disciple.

He held the golden rattle, walked forward slowly, raised his hand slowly, and slowly used his finger to resist one side of the flying sword, and then rotated it in place by one hundred and eighty degrees...

The tip of the sword pointed towards Lu Zhengchun...

The next second, the golden drum suddenly stopped shaking, the delayed space returned to normal, and the black flying sword turned into lightning fiercely and stabbed towards Lu Zhengchun's chest!

No... What did that old man Zhang teach you? Is this a serious duel? No wonder the Buddha and Taoist duel did not let you on, but chose Jin Jian, your operation is a bit outrageous... ...

Zhao Du'an's mouth twitched, and he resisted the urge to complain.

Lu Zhengchun was caught off guard and was almost stabbed by his own flying sword. He dodged sideways, and the flying sword roared past his ear, destroying a pavilion behind him, causing smoke and dust to rise.

Those stunned female Taoists then let out terrified shouts and scattered like birds and beasts.

"Where did the arcanist come from?"

Lu Zhengchun was shocked and angry, and for a while he didn't recognize the reclusive and little-known Fifth Disciple of Tianshi.

But finally no longer careless, first summoned the black flying sword back, so that it hovered around his body.

Then he pulled out the third white flying sword from under the memorial archway again. This time, the two flying swords were like yin and yang fish, spinning wildly around the Taoist's robe.

"Die!"

Under Lu Zhengchun's great anger, he pointed out with one finger, and the two black and white flying swords dragged comet-like tails along the direction of his arm, one in front and one behind, and killed again.

"Dong dong dong dong dong dong..."

Gongshu Tianyuan repeated his old trick, shaking his golden rattle frantically. The first white flying sword was still like a clay ox entering the sea, forcibly decelerated.

However, this time, the black flying sword that followed closely behind accurately hit the back of the white flying sword.

Superimposing the kinetic energy of itself on the white flying sword, in an instant, the flying sword, which had already decelerated, returned to normal, and flashed past like lightning.

Zhao Du'an's heart was startled, and the Xuan Turtle Seal, which had already been clenched in his sleeve, almost activated, but found that the Golden Bell Cover only擦出a ripple.

The white flying sword instantly split Gongshu Tianyuan's skull and split him in half from head to toe!

"Gongshu Tianyuan?!" The Zhao Ya trio inside the Golden Bell Cover were stunned for a moment, and then, they saw that the short, fat arcanist who had been split in half did not bleed, but the two halves of his body slowly faded, turning out to be two halves of clay figurines...

At this moment, the split clay figurines slowly collapsed, like a burning candle.

Only the golden drum was left, floating in the air by itself, shaking frantically,发出急促的"dong dong" sound.

"What a risk! Fortunately, this god official is highly skilled..." Behind the crowd, on a vacant lot, the air slowly twisted. Zhao Du'an turned his head and looked, first glimpsing a red hijab, and then, under the hijab, stood Gongshu Tianyuan.

The short, fat priest pulled off the red veil, dispelling his invisibility. A smug look of "Am I sneaky or what?" spread across his chubby face as he winked at the speechless Zhao Du'an and grinned, "It's this priest's turn to counterattack!"

With that, he raised a small wooden bow in his hand.

This wooden bow was extremely crude, like a child's toy. It was made entirely of peach wood, and the bowstring was formed from condensed magical power. At that moment, Gongshu Tianyuan drew the bow and nocked an arrow, and a peach wood arrow shot out with a "whoosh."

"This peach arrow is a method I obtained from the Artisan God after advancing to the Worldly Realm. It's still in its most rudimentary stage. If it were a finished product, it could kill gods."

Gongshu Tianyuan introduced it with a flourish, while continuously drawing the bow, again and again.

Each time, peach wood arrows would appear out of thin air and he would shoot them out.

"Seriously… what bizarre things are these? Where did you pull them out from…" Zhao Du'an complained weakly.

As he spoke, the arrows, one after another, "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh," bypassed the "delay zone" created by the golden drums from high in the air, and fell towards Lu Zhengchun in a parabolic arc, like a meteor shower.

Lu Zhengchun was also momentarily stunned. His expression changed as he realized that the black and white swords couldn't return in time to defend. He gritted his teeth and shouted almost maniacally:

"You will all die!"

As he said this, he abruptly spat out a mouthful of blood, forcibly squeezing his divine soul.

On top of simultaneously controlling three flying swords, he grabbed fiercely again. From the memorial archway, three flying swords fell at the same time.

Not only that, but the three ancient characters "Purple Cloud Palace" on the plaque also quickly dimmed, their light flowing into the yellow, green, and red flying swords.

The momentum of the three flying swords greatly increased, instantly forming a sword net, cutting off all of Gongshu Tianyuan's peach wood arrows.

"This wild Taoist is crazy! Even a Worldly Realm cultivator can't handle so many flying swords at once! Just hold on a little longer, and he won't be able to endure it himself! This is already his limit. He can't control seven swords at the same time!"

Gongshu Tianyuan shouted loudly while frantically drawing his bow and shooting arrows.

Zhao Du'an retorted loudly, "Then can you hold him until he's exhausted?"

Before the little fatty could reply, Lu Zhengchun's lips overflowed with blood. He was already on the verge of a qi deviation. Fighting three Worldly Realm cultivators alone was something he couldn't sustain for too long with his cultivation.

At this moment, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes. Realizing that he had to make a quick decision, he roared angrily, no longer holding back the magical power within his Qi Sea. The six flying swords in the air suddenly became extremely ferocious.

"Careful!" Lang Shiba and Ji Yue joined forces, desperately entangling the first sword.

Gongshu Tianyuan's golden drums shook so fast that they were almost a blur, the drum sounds merging into one, barely suppressing the black and white swords.

Lu Zhengchun left one sword circling around him to block the annoying peach wood arrows, and pointed an accusing finger, eyes bloodshot, towards Zhao Du'an, who was cowering inside the Golden Bell Shield:

"This Taoist will see how many helpers you have left!"

Two flying swords, each capable of killing a Worldly Realm initial stage cultivator, howled as they shot out.

At this moment, the setting sun on the horizon finally sank completely below the horizon, and the sky darkened. Night enveloped the entire mountain peak and the earth.

Night had arrived.

In the group, Jin Jian, who was extremely inconspicuous, dragging behind a group of Jinyi Guards, drooping her head and dozing off, opened her eyes the instant night arrived.

The drowsiness on her face vanished without a trace. As a priest who mainly cultivated the Star and Moon deities, the night was her domain.

The dress on the mysterious and ethereal girl, which had resembled ordinary women's clothing, suddenly turned black, becoming a soft, gold-threaded priest's robe.

Her hair grew rapidly, reaching her waist in the blink of an eye. Her body grew and developed, as if she had instantly leaped forward ten years, becoming a tall woman.

Jin Jian grabbed a pair of crystal-lens glasses from her robe with her left hand and placed them on the bridge of her nose. With her right hand, she conjured a staff from the air.

She floated up gently, passing over the heads of the worried Jinyi Guards. Her dazed gaze, through her glasses, cleared up the scene ahead.

Jin Jian frowned slightly. With a flick of her staff, a illusory moon wheel suddenly appeared behind her.

Her body fell backward, her figure crashing into the moon wheel and disappearing.

At the same time, behind Lu Zhengchun, above the ancient memorial archway, a moon wheel slowly emerged. Jin Jian stepped out from it, lowering her eyes to look at Lu Zhengchun's back below.

Art: Moon in the Water!

"Attack!" Zhao Du'an shouted when he saw this scene. After thinking for a moment, he quickly added, "Capture him alive and get bonus pay!"

The money-grubbing girl was instantly invigorated. Jin Jian expressionlessly raised the end of her staff with both hands and smashed it forward like a club.

The golden single eye at the top of the staff rolled around erratically, suddenly releasing ripples in circles.

Lu Zhengchun, whose mind was extremely tense and whose divine soul was loaded to its limit, was controlling his flying swords, about to split open the Golden Bell Shield, when he suddenly felt the world spinning.

He looked up in astonishment, following the fear of being watched by a god in his heart, and then…

He only saw a crescent moon hanging high in the dark sky, with countless stars twinkling.

And at this moment, the crescent moon and the countless stars transformed into cold, emotionless single eyes in his vision.

The entire starry sky was looking at him at this moment.

Intangible and formless, originating from the Moon God's gaze, it instantly became the last straw that broke his divine soul.

Lu Zhengchun spat out a large mouthful of blood with a "噗," and fell straight backward, passing out.

"Clang, clang!"

Zhao Du'an watched as the two flying swords, losing their momentum, collided with the Golden Bell Shield, splashing two sparks, barely tearing the Golden Bell Shield apart before falling to the ground.

At the same time, the other three flying swords also fell to the ground.

"Thump, thump, thump…" The rattle-drum, having lost its enemy, also fell to the ground, ceasing its agitation.

"Huff, huff…"

Gongshu Tianyuan sat down on the ground with a thud, throwing the peach bow in his hand to the side. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his chubby hand, first feeling a sense of frustration at being overshadowed, then becoming proud and giving Jin Jian a thumbs up:

"Good job, Junior Sister! You didn't let us down!"

Zhao Du'an dispelled the hand seals maintaining the Golden Bell Shield, looking calmly around.

The battle was over. Lang Shiba and Ji Yue were each resting, and Haitang and Zhang Han had only just recovered.

The Jinyi Guards who had lagged behind, one by one, drew their sabers and held their crossbows, rushing forward like wolves and tigers, surrounding the fallen and unconscious Lu Zhengchun. They carefully tied him up and pierced his dantian with "magic-sealing locks" to seal his power.

At this moment, in the Taoist temple ahead, magnificent, multicolored earth light slowly illuminated, enveloping the entire Taoist temple, making it exquisitely beautiful.

"Conduct a search, tie up everyone else in the Taoist temple, and then return to the city with this official."

Zhao Du'an, who hadn't lifted a finger the entire time, calmly ordered.

"Yes, sir!"

The Jinyi Guards, like wolves and tigers, rushed towards the Taoist temple. Soon, the terrified cries for mercy of women came from within.

… …

… …

Fengcheng, Golden Fortune Inn.

Under the night, the entire inn was brightly lit, but there wasn't a single normal guest.

Inside the inn's lobby, Prefect Luan Cheng had already drunk five pots of tea and used the outhouse ten times, but he still refused to leave. Instead, every now and then, he would stand up and stand at the door, gazing longingly at the street outside.

Head Constable Zhang Jian sat in the corner of the lobby, silently wiping his long and short sabers with a silk cloth.

"Prefect Luan, have something to eat. Shall I have the kitchen send some food over?"

The Golden Token Shadow Guard scholar walked down from upstairs, feeling quite helpless at this sight.

As he spoke, he gave a look to his colleague Red Leaf, who was also in the lobby, hugging her long sword and wearing a half-mask:

"You go to the kitchen…"

Red Leaf rolled her eyes, not moving:

This troublesome prefect was not her superior, Lord Zhao. She loathed the prefect who had barged into the inn on the first day and ruined the base that the Shadow Guards had painstakingly built.

She couldn't wait to chop him down with a sword.

"No need," Luan Cheng shook his head with a wry smile. "Lord Zhao has not yet returned, and his safety is still unknown. How can this official eat?"

Yes, you can't eat, but you haven't drunk less tea… Were you a teapot in your past life…? Red Leaf pouted, her long legs resting on a bench.

The scholar coughed twice and walked over slowly, smiling. "What kind of person is Young Protector Zhao? Prefect Luan should have heard the rumors about him. Would he do anything without being certain of success?"

Luan Cheng shook his head, saying seriously:

"This prefect does not doubt Young Protector Zhao's abilities, but he fears that he does not understand the situation in Fengcheng.

That Lu Zhengchun is no ordinary Taoist. Not only is his own cultivation strong, but he is a figure who can be called a grandmaster in the martial world. Moreover, he has extremely strong connections throughout the Binhai region and even the surrounding areas.

Not to mention that he also has the identity bestowed by the late Emperor. How can such a figure be casually labeled as a rebel and arrested for questioning? What kind of impact will this have? You may have underestimated it…"

The scholar smiled. "Young Protector Zhao is only going to ask questions."

Does your family take a large army to ask questions? Luan Cheng took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to argue with the Shadow Guard.

He sat down on the bench dejectedly, saying with frustration:

"Moreover, what this prefect is truly worried about is the rebel Zhuang Xiaocheng.

Today, this prefect was deceived by false information, which shows that Young Protector Zhao's whereabouts and details have probably already been grasped by the rebels. What kind of cunning person is that Zhuang Xiaocheng?

If that Lu Zhengchun has nothing to do with the rebels, then so be it. It's just offending him. At most, this prefect will mediate, and that Lu Zhengchun will probably give this prefect some face. But if there really is a problem with the Purple Cloud Palace, then Young Protector Zhao's trip will probably be like entering a dragon's pool and a tiger's den…"

The scholar and Red Leaf were a little apprehensive after hearing his scare tactics:

"It shouldn't be that bad, right?"

At this moment, suddenly, the sound of noisy horses' hooves came from the distant quiet street. Everyone stood up at the same time, exchanged glances, and walked out of the inn's gate.

From afar, they saw a dark mass of cavalry holding torches, slowly advancing.

The leading rider, seemingly having returned first to report, arrived at the entrance of the Golden Fortune Inn ahead of the main force.

The cavalryman delivering the message was none other than a Jinyi Guard captain from the Pear Blossom Hall. He glanced at the prefect and said indifferently:

"Relaying the words of my Lord Zhao, the Purple Cloud Palace, from top to bottom, is guilty of treason and colluding with rebels. Now, their chieftain Lu Zhengchun has been arrested, and over two hundred people from the Purple Cloud Palace Taoist temple, whether dead, injured, or captured, have all been brought back.

Oh, since Prefect Luan is already here, there is no need to go to the Prefectural Office to deliver the message. Please wait here for a moment. Lord Protector will arrive shortly."