The First Lackey Under The Empress

Crimson Flame Sacred Armor… Xu Zhenguan was no stranger to this name.

Six hundred years ago, at the end of the dynasty, the world was in chaos. In addition, the Ksitigarbha Dharma King of the Western Regions hunted down Taoist sorcerers, causing many sects to quietly perish.

Along with that period of history, many magical artifacts and divine weapons were also annihilated.

“Legend has it that the Fire Worship Sect worships the 'God of Fire,' and the sect's sacred object is a treasure armor. As long as other sacred objects and magical treasures are melted into it, the magic power within this treasure armor can be continuously accumulated.

If Prince Heng masters this object, with the resources of Prince Heng's mansion, it would be enough to 'feed' the Crimson Flame Sacred Armor to an astonishing level.

Even if Prince Heng's own cultivation is not high, he can still run rampant in the mortal realm with the power of this armor alone.” Ma Yan handed the memorial to a female official, who then presented it to the Empress.

Xu Zhenguan pinched the memorial with her slender fingers, unfolded it expressionlessly, scanned the text, remained silent for a moment, then raised her head again, closed the memorial, and swept her gaze across the ministers:

“So, what do you all think should be done?”

Yuan Li cupped his hands and said solemnly:

“According to the timeline, the Divine Machine Camp should have arrived at the front line by now. With the combined forces of the Divine Machine Camp and the two battalions of the Five Armies, it won't be difficult to gain a firm foothold, but it may be difficult to swallow the Qingzhou rebel army.

Your ministers believe that a general skilled in battle should be dispatched to provide support and bring back Zhao Shaobao… to proceed cautiously.”

The other ministers remained silent, acquiescing to this proposal.

Xu Zhenguan was silent, and her gaze deeply scanned several military officials of the樞密院 (Shumi Yuan, the Privy Council).

She understood that the Crimson Flame Sacred Armor was just an excuse. The key was that these ministers were not at ease with sending Zhao Dou'an to quell the rebellion.

Her first battle after her return was particularly crucial, allowing only victory and no defeat.

Entrusting this crucial battle to Zhao Dou'an, who had never led troops before, was something the military officials of the樞密院 (Shumi Yuan, the Privy Council) were the first to oppose—

It was not just a question of Zhao Dou'an's ability to lead troops, but a deeper fear of being “out of favor.”

During the Li Party's rebellion, two commanders in the Imperial Guards defected, and the樞密院 (Shumi Yuan, the Privy Council), as the supreme military authority of the court, had to bear the responsibility.

Coincidentally, during the suppression of the rebellion, the Empress bypassed the generals of the樞密院 (Shumi Yuan, the Privy Council) and only trusted Zhao Dou'an.

This action itself represented many layers of meaning.

Therefore, in today's small court meeting, Yuan Li, as the civil official who was pushed forward, truly represented the interests of the military officials in the court.

“I already know what you are thinking,” Xu Zhenguan took everyone's expressions into her eyes, casually tossed the memorial aside, and said lightly:

“I am the Son of Heaven, and my words are golden. How can the appointment of generals be changed at will? Since the battle of Qingzhou has been entrusted to Zhao Qing, you all need not mention it again.”

Everyone's expressions changed slightly, and the military officials of the樞密院 (Shumi Yuan, the Privy Council) even raised their heads in astonishment, not expecting the Empress's response to be so decisive, not allowing any questioning.

——After Her Majesty's return from the Fengshan ceremony, her style of doing things has become increasingly iron-fisted.

This thought arose in everyone's mind.

“As for the treasure armor held by Prince Heng,” Xu Zhenguan paused slightly, and the corners of her mouth raised slightly, “I believe that Zhao Qing has his own way of dealing with it.”

The Crimson Flame Sacred Armor corresponds to the “God of Fire,” which is indeed dangerous, but the Empress had already learned on the escape route that Zhao Dou'an possessed the “Black Tortoise Seal,” which corresponds to the “God of Water” path.

……

……

“Prince Heng, where are you going?”

On the official road, Zhao Dou'an straddled his warhorse, his eyes narrowed, firmly locking onto Prince Heng, who was driving the carriage in front.

Behind him, an entire team of elite Divine Machine Camp soldiers simultaneously raised their firelocks, sealing off every possible escape route for Prince Heng.

As long as Zhao Dou'an gave an order, they could turn him into a sieve.

“Zhao… Dou'an!” A drop of cold sweat oozed from Prince Heng's forehead, and he venomously uttered this name.

But his body nimbly shrank into most of the carriage.

Zhao Dou'an looked down at the Prince of Qingzhou, his expression strange:

“As expected, it's really strange. The battle is still raging in the front, and the Qingzhou rebel army has not surrendered. Why is the Prince fleeing first?”

He was very surprised!

When Zhao Dou'an led his men to go around the back and attack the camp, preparing to capture Prince Heng alive, all he saw were a few corpses lying in the back tent.

Fortunately, although Prince Heng was also a martial artist, his strength was weaker than Zhao Dou'an, who was at the Mortal Realm, so relying on the “风月宝鉴 (Fengyue Baojian, Lustrous Mirror),” he barely locked onto his whereabouts, caught up with the carriage on horseback, and intercepted him here.

Prince Heng gasped heavily, almost shrinking into the carriage, and roared:

“Zhao Dou'an! Look who this is!”

At the same time, he exerted force with one hand, forcibly pulling Madam Xiao out of the carriage and blocking her in front of him, the blood-stained blade against Madam Xiao's fair neck.

“Ah—” Xiao Dong'er was tossed around and dizzy. Caught off guard, she was grabbed and screamed.

When she saw Zhao Dou'an in front, the female head of the Xiao family, who controlled the Donghu Xiao family and was also the court's number one royal merchant of the new policy, was stunned and widened her eyes in disbelief, as if she understood something:

Did Lord Zhao lead the troops to defeat the Qingzhou army?

But according to rumors, he disappeared with the Empress? Could it be…

Zhao Dou'an also showed a surprised expression:

“Prince, you have a good sense of leisure. When fleeing in defeat, you didn't even bring a single soldier or personal guard, but you brought Madam Xiao along. The weight of the Donghu Xiao family seems to be heavier than I expected.”

Prince Heng, who was disguised as a blue-clothed coachman, well-fed and with fair and delicate skin, gasped violently and sneered:

“Stop changing the subject! Zhao Dou'an, retreat immediately, or this Prince will destroy the flower! You don't want your lover to die here, do you?”

No, why are you slandering people out of thin air?

Zhao Dou'an was stunned for a moment, and then his nerves tensed, thinking to himself: This old thief wants to set me up!

The kidnapped Madam Xiao was also stunned for a moment, then suddenly reacted and cursed:

“This slave is a used flower, and has never had any impropriety with Lord Zhao. Xu Heng, stop spouting nonsense!”

The Prince of Qingzhou, whose given name was Heng, looked disdainful:

“Who doesn't know that this slut initially entered the capital and hooked up with someone named Zhao to get the title of royal merchant? What did you two do when you met at the Xiaozhai barbecue? You know it yourself.”

After the Lake Pavilion gathering, Prince Heng's mansion spent a lot of effort investigating the “collusion” between the Xiao family and the court, and learned of this clue.

At this moment, throwing it out in public made Zhao Dou'an's scalp tingle. His reputation was damaged. He didn't expect this old thief to be so insidious.

Glancing at his surroundings, the Divine Machine Camp cavalry tacitly lowered their eyes, pretending they hadn't heard anything.

Damn it, if Xiao Dong'er really dies here, there will be no way to prove his innocence, and this black pot cannot be washed away… Zhao Dou'an took a deep breath, his eyes turned cold, he flipped off his horse, and with a “噌” sound, the town-suppressing saber was unsheathed, and the scabbard pierced into the ground with a “噗” sound, sinking in an inch.

Zhao Dou'an walked forward with his saber, his eyes looking down:

“Do you think this woman can save your life? I heard that Prince Heng of Qingzhou has great ambitions but little talent, but I didn't expect him to be so stupid. You can kill her, and see if your saber is faster, or this official's saber is faster.”

At both ends of the official road, the cavalry and the carriage faced each other from a distance.

Zhao Dou'an walked forward alone with his saber, approaching the carriage step by step.

“Don't come over, if you get any closer, I'll kill her.” Prince Heng looked fierce but was inwardly timid, revealing a look of horror, constantly shouting, the blade cut through Madam Xiao's fair neck, and a line of blood emerged.

Zhao Dou'an's footsteps did not stop at all, constantly approaching.

Feeling the sharp blade cutting into her throat, Xiao Dong'er closed her eyes in despair, and the first half of her life flashed before her eyes like a revolving lantern as she approached death.

But the next second, the expected death did not come, she only felt that she was thrown back into the carriage by a big hand.

“Ah…” Xiao Dong'er opened her eyelids, and the last scene before the curtain fell was the sudden smile on the face of Prince Heng, who was originally “timid and fearful.”

As if all the pretense and deception were revealed at this moment.

“Zhao Dou'an, you can't escape!”

Prince Heng smiled arrogantly, raised his hand and grabbed, actually tearing and shredding the gray clothes on his body!

As the clothes tore, an old, dark red half-body armor with a black human face imprint on the chest was revealed below.

At the same time, strands of crimson flames spewed out from the seams of the half-body armor, like a breached riverbank, the crimson flames flowed like magma, extremely fast.

In the blink of an eye, layers upon layers of fire surged, spreading along the carriage's axles, the ground, and the surrounding soil, rocks, and vegetation, making Xu Heng appear like an ancient fire god, majestic, domineering, indifferent, and powerful.

The spreading flames covered a circular area around the carriage, and viewed from the sky, the region seemed to have become a sea of fire.

The edge of the sea of fire was as neat as if cut by a knife, releasing distorted heat waves, as if isolating this sea of fire from the outside world, turning it into an independent forbidden zone.

And Zhao Du'an was precisely within this forbidden zone of fire!

Zhao Du'an witnessed the flames covering the ground, the surrounding heat waves rolling, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

Almost instinctively, wisps of energy spurted out from his pores, covering his clothes. His protective energy shielded him from the flames and heat waves, but even so, a corner of his robe was still scorched into ashes!

"An ancient warding artifact?!" Zhao Du'an's eyes narrowed, his gaze falling on the half-body armor worn by Prince Heng.

Xu Heng was clad in the Scarlet Flame Sacred Armor, his entire being almost covered by a thin layer of flames, even his eyebrows and hair were dyed scarlet, as if he had become a completely different person.

A powerful aura rose from his body, spreading in all directions, causing Zhao Du'an to instinctively feel a strong threat!

A worldly realm!

With just this ancient warding artifact, Prince Heng had briefly gained power close to the high ranks of the worldly realm! Moreover, that scorching aura was still rising!

"Lord?!" Outside the fiery zone, the Shenji Camp's cavalrymen were shocked. Some tried to spur their horses forward, but were forced back by the scorching heat waves when they reached the edge of the flames.

A soldier who recklessly rushed forward had the fur of his warhorse, along with his own hair and eyebrows, instantly burned to ashes. He cried out miserably and fell from his horse, scorched.

This area was artificially separated into a battlefield solely for Zhao Du'an and Prince Heng.

Damn it!

As expected, every feudal lord who dared to rebel had unknown trump cards, some terrifying foundation of the royal palace… Zhao Du'an didn't dare to be careless and mustered all his focus, but he did not summon Pei Niannu to descend.

With his current realm, if he were to simultaneously control Pei Niannu and himself, the consumption of inner force would be severe. If he couldn't eliminate Prince Heng in a short time, he himself would fall into a state of exhaustion.

Who knows if the armor on this guy can withstand the combined strike of me and Pei Niannu. If it can, I could easily be overturned in a ditch…

It's better to be cautious and careful, first probing the situation to get a rough idea, then deciding whether to fight or retreat… Zhao Du'an thought to himself.

The gleaming blade of the Suppressing Saber, obtained from Li Yanfu, slashed diagonally, and the flames on the ground were suddenly torn open, creating a thin, fireless line.

It works!

Zhao Du'an's eyes lit up. He sank his Qi into his dantian, and the energy within his body was pumped into the blade. The blade slashed out.

"Bang!!"

Distorted heat waves exploded into clusters of air currents, and chaotic saber energy shot towards Prince Heng.

At the same time, the Shenji Camp soldiers, isolated outside, pulled their triggers. Amidst the explosive sounds of bang, bang, bang, iron bullets pierced through the heat waves, covering Prince Heng!

People couldn't enter the sea of fire, but guns could.

However, Prince Heng, majestic like a fire god, merely half-squatted as he stepped down from the carriage. He pressed his hands towards the ground, and a wall of condensed flames rose up.

The iron bullets, forged from hundreds of refinements of fine steel by the Ordnance Bureau, embedded themselves in the fire wall, suspended in the air, spinning wildly at high speed, but unable to advance even an inch. Soon, they were melted into black molten iron by the high temperature.

"Firearms… merely petty tricks," Prince Heng sneered, dismissive of the surrounding Shenji Camp soldiers.

He raised his right hand, covered in flames, and with a whoosh, a raging fire spewed from his palm, condensing into a long saber with a cyan-white core and a bright yellow outer flame.

On the narrow blade, strands of flame dripped continuously, falling to the ground and merging into the sea of fire, leaving only wisps of rising white smoke.

"Bang, bang, bang…"

Prince Heng waved the flaming long saber, and the saber energy shot out ten feet, extinguishing all the saber energy Zhao Du'an had unleashed.

At this moment, the fire wall blocking the bullets was suddenly split open from the middle. Zhao Du'an emerged from the gap, his body as swift as lightning. The Suppressing Saber shook off sparks of flame, and in an instant, collided with Prince Heng's long saber.

The mysterious Suppressing Saber and the flame saber stalemated for half a breath, before the latter shattered, and Prince Heng's waist was also cut in half by Zhao Du'an's blade.

However, he didn't relax in the slightest, because the Prince Heng who had been cut into two pieces smiled, and gradually disintegrated into countless sparks, disappearing without a trace.

And behind Zhao Du'an, a few dozen feet away, a burst of flames erupted from the sea of fire, and Prince Heng walked out from it unscathed, his expression arrogant:

"From the moment you stepped within thirty feet of me, your life and death were no longer in your control."

As he spoke, Prince Heng hurled the long saber in his hand fiercely!

"Boom—"

Zhao Du'an hastily turned around, holding the Suppressing Saber with both hands, splitting the thrown long saber into two. But after the long saber shattered, it exploded into a ball of scorching bright yellow flames!

Amidst the loud noise, Zhao Du'an was sent flying back as if he had been shelled by artillery, and the sea of fire under their feet followed closely, moving along with his retreat, always preventing him from leaving this area.

"Don't waste your energy, you can't get out," Prince Heng laughed triumphantly, standing in the sea of fire, as if he were a god dominating the world.

His hands constantly grabbed out a series of flaming spears, throwing them towards Zhao Du'an. The spears exploded, setting off small mushroom clouds.

Prince Heng looked down at Zhao Du'an, who was being blasted into a sorry state, and laughed wildly:

"Did you really think you had me cornered? Why are you so sure that my escaping from the camp alone wasn't a deliberate ploy to lure you here? If I really wanted to escape, why would I abandon the faster warhorse and insist on riding a carriage?"

Prince Heng was smug and confident, assuming a winning posture, relying on the Scarlet Flame Sacred Armor to unleash fire god spells without restraint.

At the same time, he spewed trash talk, maximizing the taunts, attracting Zhao Du'an to face him head-on.

However, Zhao Du'an ignored his words, only circling the edge of the sea of fire area, dodging the bombardment in a sorry state, while his eyes calmly observed.

He quickly came to a conclusion:

"Prince Heng's true body is not any of those I saw, but is hidden somewhere in this sea of fire using fire遁."

"Before the magic power of this half-body armor is exhausted, I can't find him, nor can I break this sea of fire. And these flames are constantly consuming my inner force, even scorching my spirit!"

Zhao Du'an could clearly sense that the consumption rate of his protective energy was alarming, and his inner force was burning like a candle, shrinking section by section.

And the scorching heat waves drilled into his mouth and nose. Within his sea of consciousness, the Azure Lotus and the jade-like leaf obtained from the Bewitching True Man overlapped, resisting and maintaining his clarity.

If this continues, he won't be able to escape and will be burned alive here!

Where did this bug-like warding artifact come from? It's completely unreasonable!

While Zhao Du'an cursed inwardly, he suddenly stopped, coldly saying to Prince Heng:

"Gongshu Tianyuan once told me that if you want to break a warding artifact, it's very simple, just shut down the magic item. So, as long as I can find your hidden true body, this formation will collapse on its own."

As he spoke, Zhao Du'an's official robe suddenly turned dark red.

His long hair scattered down, and one of his eyes suddenly turned pure silver, while the other remained clear. His temperament suddenly changed, and in the masculinity of a man, there was an added femininity of a woman.

"Senior Pei, please take action," Zhao Du'an muttered in a low voice.

Releasing control of his body, Zhao Du'an's silver pupil revealed an eerie cold light. The arm lent to Pei Niannu was raised, and a dark ancient seal was held in the palm.

At this moment, under the gaze of everyone, the Xuanwu Seal slowly rotated.

"Water God, descend!"

—

I'm heartbroken, damn it, rejected the day before New Year's Eve, this year is not going to be good.