Chapter 606: Long-Haired Master

Even without her warning, Zu An had already sensed a deadly danger. In that instant, every hair on his body stood on end.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could only see a flash of cold light hurtling towards him. It felt as if Death's scythe was already swinging down, barely a hair's breadth from his neck.

Terrified, he quickly summoned "Gale" and instantly teleported several meters to the side. Only then did he clearly see that the cold light was a small, exquisite sword.

A flying sword?

Before transmigration, he had often seen Sword Immortals using flying swords to attack enemies in TV shows and novels, and he had been incredibly envious. Now, however, he had never hated flying swords more, because this one was coming for his life!

He deliberately didn't teleport backward but instead moved 90 degrees to the side, worried that the sword might continue its pursuit. However, he never imagined that a flying sword could turn!

Oh my god, does it have a cruise system, like a guided missile? That's just cheating!

He didn't dare hesitate for a second. Instantly, he used Sunflower Phantom. In this life-or-death situation, he performed beyond his usual capabilities, transforming into four identical figures that ran in four different directions.

But to his utter surprise, the flying sword completely ignored the three phantom clones and unhesitatingly shot straight for his true body.

Zu An: "..."

He quickly summoned the Snow Phoenix, hoping to use its ice power to slow down the flying sword.

The moment the Snow Phoenix appeared, the area several meters behind him instantly turned into a world of ice and snow, and a layer of frost appeared on the flying sword's blade.

However, it only slightly slowed the sword down. The flying sword still broke through the icy domain and shot toward him.

Zu An continuously used teleportation three times, cold sweat pouring down his body. The flying sword's speed was no less than his own teleportation speed; it was practically right in front of him the moment he landed, forcing him to keep summoning Gale for the next teleportation.

But he knew he couldn't summon Gale indefinitely. The only reason he could do it this many times was due to the significant increase in his cultivation after absorbing Mosquito Taoist's power.

Yet, he wouldn't be able to dodge it for many more times before a single sword strike would pierce his heart.

His mind raced. Even the guided missiles of his previous life relied on infrared or radar guidance. What on earth was this flying sword using to track him?

Wait, the principle behind guided missiles is to input the target's data beforehand and then use infrared for comprehensive targeting. So, if I can change my "data," wouldn't that confuse this flying sword?

For cultivators, what is the most important and distinctive information? Of course, it's their energy signature!

When cultivated to a certain level, one doesn't even need to use their eyes; they can distinguish someone just by sensing their energy signature, as every cultivator's aura is unique, with subtle differences even if seemingly similar.

Naturally, this world also had means to disrupt an opponent's perception of one's aura. For example, the embroidered uniform guards' waist tokens could conceal or alter one's personal energy signature, preventing their true identities from being discovered.

A thought struck him, and he quickly activated the "Mirror is Not a Stand" technique that Qiu Honglei had taught him. Instantly, his energy signature vanished, making him seem like an ordinary person.

"Huh?"

A soft exclamation, seemingly from a woman, echoed in the void. But with his life hanging by a thread, Zu An had no time to consider if the voice was pleasant or not.

He pressed himself flat against the wall, his clothes soaked with cold sweat, because the flying sword had embedded itself into the wall an inch from his neck.

It was well known that all the imperial palace's buildings were reinforced by formations, and places like the Eastern Palace were considered top-priority for protection. These palace walls were practically impervious to blades and swords; even a full-power strike from a high-level cultivator would have its force dispersed throughout the entire palace by the wall's formations, causing no damage whatsoever.

Yet, such a wall had been completely pierced by this single sword. It was terrifying to imagine what would happen if it had struck a person—they would likely be instantly minced into flesh and blood.

Although this description is long, everything happened in the blink of an eye.

Not even Qiu Honglei had time to plead with her master.

The people of the Eastern Palace clearly witnessed this scene, and all the assassins were greatly energized, their attacks becoming even more ferocious.

Meanwhile, those on the Crown Prince's side secretly lamented. Everyone wondered why, despite such a huge commotion in the palace, the Emperor had not yet intervened, nor had Zhu Xie Chixin appeared.

Only then did Zu An see a graceful figure rushing towards the Crown Prince. Although her face was veiled in black, her black hair cascaded like a waterfall. For some reason, just by seeing her back, he knew she was a peerlessly beautiful woman.

Was that sword strike just now from her?

Zu An, still shaken, snorted, "Hmph, I'll get you back with a spear, sooner or later."

Looking at her beautiful hair that reached her perky backside, a ridiculous thought suddenly crossed his mind: would this woman have to roll up her hair and hold it when she went to the latrine?

By this time, the woman had already reached the Crown Prince. Rong Mo, the Crown Princess's personal maid, holding fine needles, transformed into a strange afterimage and charged forward.

Unfortunately, the woman merely extended a slender, jade-like finger. Before anyone nearby could even understand what was happening, Rong Mo flew backward like a broken sandbag, her fate unknown.

The Crown Princess's pretty face turned pale, but she still raised her sword and stepped forward to meet the opponent.

Just then, an angry roar came from nearby: "How dare you, villain!"

A figure shot forward like a cannonball, blocking the woman in front of the Crown Princess and exchanging a blow with her.

The woman swayed her waist and elegantly landed on a nearby willow branch. The delicate willow branch, which normally swayed wildly with the slightest breeze, remained perfectly still under her feet.

The newly arrived figure swayed slightly, and an unnatural flush briefly appeared on his face, but he quickly suppressed it.

Only then did Zu An clearly see the newcomer's appearance: a white-haired old man with sharp, sword-like eyebrows and a tall, upright physique. Standing there, he exuded an untamed aura, making it easy to imagine how popular he must have been with women in his youth.

"Huh, this old man looks a bit like Brother Ribi," Zu An thought curiously.

At this moment, the Crown Princess's words cleared his confusion: "Thank you for saving me, Grand Marshal."

Zu An immediately realized: this was Shi Kun's father, one of the Eight Dukes of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Grand Marshal Shi Miao, a top-tier Grandmaster.

"These father and son are quite a pair; their names both allude to vulgarities. A whole family of lechers!"

But Brother Ribi had just indirectly died by the Crown Princess's hand, yet Shi Miao still went to save her. Wasn't he disgusted to his core?

Not only was Shi Miao disgusted, he was so utterly frustrated he felt like spitting blood.

Earlier, he had rushed into the palace upon hearing that his beloved son had met with an accident. Halfway there, new information arrived: Shi Kun had succumbed to his severe injuries, bleeding profusely until his death.

He had questioned the imperial physicians in detail and learned that his son had been hiding behind a door, playing with a knife, when the Crown Princess suddenly burst the door open, causing the knife to embed itself in a vital spot.

He was truly furious and anxious. If it had been anyone else, he would have avenged his son by killing them with a single palm strike, but against the Crown Princess, he truly had no way to seek revenge.

However, his status was venerable, and the Shi family was a top-tier clan, so he naturally didn't want to swallow this humiliation. Thus, he angrily rushed toward the Eastern Palace to demand justice from the Crown Princess, at least wanting Zu An, who had competed with his son, to be handed over.

Yet, upon his hasty arrival, he coincidentally stumbled upon assassins attacking the Eastern Palace.

He instinctively intervened and stopped the assailant, but immediately regretted it. "Why was I so hasty?" he thought. "Wouldn't it have been better if I'd acted a little later, letting these assassins kill the Crown Princess to avenge my son? Instead, I ended up having to save my son's killer." The sheer frustration made him want to vomit blood.

"Your Royal Highness, you exaggerate; this is merely my duty," Shi Miao said expressionlessly. Then he looked up at the woman standing on the willow branch. "All grandmasters in the world are figures with names and reputations. May I ask who you are, daring to openly assassinate the Crown Prince? Do you not know this is a grave crime punishable by extermination of nine generations of your family?"

Although he appeared calm on the surface, his mind was in turmoil. In that brief exchange, he had actually been at a disadvantage. This person's cultivation was even higher than his, and she was a woman. Who on earth was she?