Chapter 611: Shocking Strike

Zuan had initially been worried that Qiu Honglei's master would be cut in half on the spot. To his surprise, the situation changed in a blink, and she completely turned the tables. However, it seemed Zhu Xie Chixin wasn't seriously injured and could still fight.

What concerned him more were the three words Zhu Xie Chixin had just uttered: Grandmaster! This woman was a Grandmaster? Wouldn't his survival, completely unscathed, after a Grandmaster's attack be something worth bragging about?

The long-haired woman didn't answer. With a mere flick of her hand, Qiu Honglei and other cult members, who were covering their retreat and trapped in a heavy encirclement, were gently lifted by a soft force and instantly flew out of the East Palace grounds.

Zhu Xie Chixin immediately ordered, "Guo Zhi, take your troops and escort the Crown Prince to a safe area. Zhao Yuan, lead your forces to pursue the assassins. Golden Badge Eleven, take the Embroidered Uniform Guards here to each palace gate and inform the guards of the situation. Ensure no assassin escapes. Kill anyone who resists!"

The Imperial Guards in the palace were mainly divided into four divisions: the Left and Right Guards, the Vanguard, and the Cavalry.

Guo Zhi was the General of the Right Guard, and Zhao Yuan was the General of the Vanguard, also a member of the imperial family, though distantly related to the current royal bloodline.

Too much had happened in the palace today, throwing the entire Imperial Guard into disarray. The whereabouts of the other generals, the General of the Left Guard and the General of the Cavalry, were unknown; perhaps they were with the Empress or elsewhere, but they hadn't appeared yet.

Guo Zhi and Zhao Yuan had only just arrived with their men.

All four generals were rank eight masters. Now, as long as Zhu Xie Chixin could hold back the long-haired woman, the most powerful of the assassins, the remaining assassins could be suppressed by the other generals.

"Yes!" The two generals acknowledged in unison. Although Zhu Xie Chixin's official rank might not have been higher than theirs, his special status and position as the Emperor's confidant naturally gave him the authority to command them.

At the same time, both generals looked at Zuan curiously. Weren't there only ever ten Golden Badge Envoys? When did an eleventh appear?

Zuan secretly groaned. He had only come out to lend a hand, yet everything seemed to be pushed onto him.

However, a thought suddenly struck him: this was a good opportunity to check if Qiu Honglei had escaped. So, he readily accepted the order.

As he passed the Crown Princess, she suddenly spoke, "Lord Eleven, be careful on your way."

Zuan was startled, somewhat surprised, but he cupped his hands and replied, "Thank you, Crown Princess."

He then hurried away. Before leaving, he glanced back at the long-haired woman floating in mid-air. Her robes billowed, radiant like the moon in the sky, yet ethereal like an invisible cloud.

"Ah, when will I be able to possess such an imposing aura?" he mused. But she wasn't flying very high. He suddenly remembered that there was a grand formation in the capital that prevented cultivators from flying freely. No wonder.

Dismissing his thoughts, he quickly assigned the bronze-badged Embroidered Uniform Guards who were with him to notify the guards at each palace gate.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards were stunned. "Don't you need any men by your side, sir?"

Zuan waved his hand. "The chief assassin is being occupied by Lord Zhu Xie. The other assassins are no match for me. It's you who need to stick together for mutual support."

The other Embroidered Uniform Guards had no idea of his true intentions. Instead, they were filled with admiration. A Golden Badge Envoy was indeed a powerful cultivator, and many had witnessed his prowess in the East Palace, so no one questioned him.

"Thank you for your consideration, Lord Eleven!"

After thanking him, the group of Embroidered Uniform Guards rushed towards the various palace gates.

Thinking of the grateful looks in their eyes as they left, Zuan almost burst out laughing. It felt truly good to trick people into doing your bidding while they thanked you for it.

He quickly composed himself and began searching for Qiu Honglei. He remembered that the long-haired woman had sent Qiu Honglei and her group eastward. He instinctively headed in that direction, unsure if he would find her or if she had already left the palace. He could only do his best and leave the rest to fate.

After an unknown period of walking, he suddenly heard the sound of a skirmish nearby. His heart stirred, and he quickly rushed towards the sound.

Reaching a rockery, he saw a team of guards besieging several black-clad figures, who were trying to cover the escape of one of their companions.

"Qiu Honglei!" Zuan recognized her instantly. The two had fought for a long time just recently, so even with a veil covering her face, she was not difficult to identify.

He looked at the guards, his heart sinking. These were not ordinary guards; they were clustered around a golden-armored commander whose armor was similar to that of General Guo Zhi of the Right Guard and General Zhao Yuan of the Vanguard, clearly indicating he was of the same rank.

"That must be Cheng Xiong, the General of the Left Guard," Zuan quickly deduced. "A rank eight master!"

The odds were already stacked against them. With Cheng Xiong, a rank eight master, joining the fray, Qiu Honglei's group quickly began to falter. If not for the presence of the other master, who had fought against the Crown Prince's Tutor in the East Palace, they would probably have given up resistance long ago.

However, that cult master was clearly severely weakened from his previous fight in the East Palace and was no match for Cheng Xiong in his full strength.

Their other companions were either dead or captured. Seeing this, the cult master quickly grabbed Qiu Honglei by the shoulder and forcefully threw her outwards. "Go!"

Tears welled up in Qiu Honglei's beautiful eyes, but she knew this was no time for sentimentality. Gritting her teeth, she desperately channeled her vital energy and ran, unwilling to let her comrades sacrifice themselves in vain.

Cheng Xiong, however, sneered, "Where do you think you're going?" He followed through with a palm strike to the cult master's chest, instantly sending the master sprawling to the ground. Before he could even get up, the surrounding guards had already placed their blades against his neck.

Cheng Xiong, without pausing, continued to pursue Qiu Honglei in the direction she had fled. He was confident he could catch her within three breaths; she was only a mere rank six, the gap was too wide.

Feeling the strong wind approaching from behind, Qiu Honglei knew her enemy was closing in rapidly. A wave of despair washed over her. She couldn't help but feel a touch of resentment: "That scoundrel risked his life to protect the Crown Princess, yet when I'm in trouble, he's nowhere to be seen."

Of course, she knew such resentment was unreasonable. After leaving the East Palace, they had split up and fled in various directions to avoid being completely captured. Unfortunately for them, her group had the bad luck of running directly into the General of the Left Guard, who was leading troops. If even she didn't know they would be so unlucky, how could Zuan? Moreover, the palace was so vast; even if he wanted to find her, he wouldn't be able to.

She touched the dagger at her waist, a resolute expression flashing across her face. Other captured companions could still pretend to be Prince Qi's people according to the prearranged plan. All those participating in this mission were chosen elites who were not afraid of death. Unfortunately, while others could be captured, she could not. Firstly, her position in the cult was special. Secondly, she was a woman, and an extremely beautiful one at that. If captured, there was no telling what humiliating defilement she might suffer. Therefore, before the attack, she had already resolved to die. Her comrades in the cult were willing to sacrifice their lives for a great ideal, so why should she be an exception? Her only regret was not seeing *that person* before she died...

Just then, a fiery greatsword, dozens of meters long, came cleaving towards her. Her face paled. Indeed, the palace was teeming with masters. This time, even death might not be granted easily. To her surprise, the fiery greatsword didn't strike her. Instead, it swept past her side and continued backward, precisely intercepting the pursuing Cheng Xiong.

Cheng Xiong was greatly alarmed by this. He immediately crossed his arms in front of him, the steel rings on his forearms spinning rapidly with a grating sound. Then, he abruptly spread his hands, and a massive tiger shadow materialized around him, roaring as it charged towards the fiery greatsword.

*Bang!*

With a thunderous crash, many of the surrounding rockeries and trees were pulverized. He waved his hand, dispersing the pervasive dust, but the assassin was nowhere to be found.

Just then, an incredibly terrifying pressure suddenly surged from the direction of the East Palace. Even with his cultivation, Cheng Xiong almost couldn't stand, nearly falling 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?"