Chapter 612: New Crescent Moon

Meanwhile, at the East Palace, Zhu Xie Chixin also tried to intercept the assassins who were being led away, but he was stopped by the long-haired woman.

His eyes turned cold. The Soul-Reaping Chain in his hand moved with an unpredictable, ghost-like swiftness, resembling a grim reaper's scythe from hell.

Unfortunately, every attack was blocked by the nimble small sword.

The small sword was not held in hand, but it seemed to possess a spirit, flying automatically around the long-haired woman. Each time, it perfectly blocked the chain's tricky angles.

Zhu Xie Chixin frowned deeply, searching his mind for any woman in the world who used such a short sword and possessed the cultivation of a Grandmaster. But after a long time, he couldn't think of anyone who completely fit the description. There were a few candidates, but none perfectly matched the woman in front of him, lacking either in one aspect or another.

After blocking more than a dozen moves, the long-haired woman smiled faintly and said, "I'm done playing with you."

She sensed that the others under her command had already gone far, but something seemed to have gone wrong with her apprentice, and she needed to go help.

But as soon as she moved, Zhu Xie Chixin blocked her path.

The long-haired woman frowned, "Why bother? You should know you can't stop me. If we truly fight and you accidentally harm your foundation, you might not recover for decades."

Zhu Xie Chixin's expression was grim. "Your cultivation is truly rare in my experience. Unfortunately, while I may not be able to stop you, don't forget this is the Imperial Palace. Is it possible His Majesty cannot stop you?"

The woman chuckled softly, "No need to bluff me. I know His Majesty is currently... unable to come here at all."

"Is that so?" Zhu Xie Chixin suddenly pulled out a bright yellow imperial decree from his sleeve. He quickly unfurled it and began to read, "By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees..."

The woman's expression changed dramatically. With her knowledge, she naturally knew this was an Embroidered Uniform Guard acting on behalf of the Emperor, a decree rarely used. How could it be such a coincidence that Zhu Xie Chixin happened to be carrying one?

She dared not delay. The short sword in her hand transformed into a streak of light and shot towards Zhu Xie Chixin, hoping to silence him before he could finish speaking.

Unfortunately, Zhu Xie Chixin was also a Half-Step Grandmaster, and it wouldn't be easy to instantly defeat him.

As the flying sword reached him, a giant golden palm had already emerged from the imperial decree.

Previously, the flying sword had pierced through the fiery palm Zhu Xie Chixin conjured, but facing this golden palm, it vibrated with a mournful hum.

Soon, the golden palm made contact with the sword's tip. Then, without pausing, it continued forward. The previously indestructible flying sword immediately shattered inch by inch, and the golden palm continued forward, reaching the long-haired woman in an instant.

Zhu Xie Chixin, meanwhile, stared intently at the long-haired woman. Logically, if a Natal Flying Sword is destroyed, its owner should suffer severe damage, even losing the ability to resist on the spot. But why did this woman seem completely unfazed?

Could it be that this flying sword was not her Natal Weapon?

The long-haired woman was not unfazed; her heart was pounding, and her expression was extremely grave. She spread her arms and slowly rose. Her long hair, reaching to her hips, swayed without a breeze, and then a crescent moon rose behind her.

"Huh, why is there another moon?" Many people in the East Palace rubbed their eyes, assuming they were seeing things.

The crescent moon emanated a clear, tranquil light. The long-haired woman, already graceful and beautiful, was now bathed in pale, crystalline moonlight. Even in her night attire, she still resembled a moon goddess descended to the mortal world.

Bathed in this beautiful moonlight, many in the East Palace were astonished to find their companions seemingly unable to move. No, their movements seemed to have become incredibly slow, slower than a snail.

Zhu Xie Chixin was greatly alarmed. He naturally understood what was happening: a light-element cultivator, solidifying time!

Of course, this wasn't true time solidification, but rather, within a certain range, it made enemies' actions extremely slow, as if time had been frozen.

Light-element cultivators were already rare, and those who reached such a realm were even rarer. A person suddenly sprang to his mind.

No wonder she had always used a flying sword as her weapon, only resorting to the Crescent Wheel in the most critical moments. He should have guessed it was her!

Yun Jianyue, the Demonic Sect Master!

At this moment, the golden palm also seemed to be affected by the tranquil moonlight, and its speed gradually slowed.

Unfortunately, the long-haired woman couldn't feel happy because although the palm's speed had decreased, it was still slowly pressing forward.

The palm was not too far from her; even at a snail's pace, it wouldn't take long to reach her.

She gritted her teeth and waved her hands. The bright crescent moon behind her directly smashed forward, colliding with the palm in a tremendous crash.

Then, many people in the East Palace found themselves deaf. It took a long time before they could hear sounds again, but their heads were still ringing, and many had blood seeping from their ears.

Meanwhile, the East Palace buildings, which were inscribed with protective formations, had been leveled by the aftermath of the battle.

It should be noted that despite so many intense battles before, not a single tile of the East Palace buildings had been damaged, clearly indicating their extremely strong resistance to attacks.

But even the strongest has its limits. How could it withstand the aftermath of a battle beyond the Grandmaster realm?

Zhu Xie Chixin, meanwhile, spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. He had just moved to protect the remaining people in the East Palace, saving them from being shaken to death by the battle's aftermath. Because of this, he had also sustained considerable injuries.

At this moment, the golden palm gradually dissipated, and the long-haired woman was nowhere to be seen.

At this point, the Emperor's face slowly materialized in the void. The gigantic phantom slowly said, "That person is heavily wounded and cannot have gone far. Zhu Xie Chixin, you must capture her!"

"As you command, long live Your Majesty, live for ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!" Zhu Xie Chixin knelt in salute.

Everyone else in the East Palace also knelt, each of them looking excited and awe-struck. Everyone said the Emperor was the strongest in the world, but how many had truly witnessed him in action?

The long-haired woman had been incredibly powerful, overwhelming, but unfortunately, she was still no match for a single strike from the Emperor.

The people of the East Palace felt a surge of pride. Moreover, some masters, having witnessed the scene, even found signs of loosening in their cultivation bottlenecks that had been stagnant for years.

Zhu Xie Chixin also gained much. However, he didn't have time to digest the insights he had just gained. While arranging for the Right Guard General and the Crown Prince's Junior Tutor to escort the Crown Prince to a safe place, he simultaneously led his subordinates to begin searching for the long-haired woman.

Although he had also been injured just now while saving others, his injuries were undoubtedly insignificant compared to those suffered by the long-haired woman. If they met again, the woman would surely die.

He even suspected that after taking a full-powered strike from the Emperor, the long-haired woman might not even fare well against some ordinary palace guards now.

On the other side, Qiu Honglei had just seen a massive flaming saber slash past her. Before she could react, someone grabbed her arm and pulled her aside.

Her heart jumped in surprise. Just as she was about to retaliate, she heard a familiar voice in her ear: "It's me."

Qiu Honglei's hand, halfway extended, instantly froze. She said with a mix of surprise and joy, "Ah Zu!"

"This guy isn't completely heartless after all," she thought. "I thought he only cared about protecting the Crown Princess. It turns out he didn't forget me."

"Shh!" Zu An motioned for her to be quiet, reminding her that Cheng Xiong, the Grade-Eight Left Guard General, was still pursuing them.

He had deliberately used the Flame Saber, a skill he had never revealed before, precisely to avoid revealing his identity.

Having many skills allowed him such indulgence!

However, he needed to find time to write down the cultivation levels and combat techniques he displayed for each of his identities in a small notebook. Otherwise, if he ever confused his identities and used a unique skill from the wrong one, he'd be done for.

Zu An led Qiu Honglei through various complex narrow paths. But he wasn't confident he could shake off Cheng Xiong, who, as the Palace's Left Guard General, was more familiar with the palace's terrain than he was.

He even entertained a thought: if he truly couldn't shake him off, he would lure him to a secluded spot and see if he could eliminate him.

After all, Cheng Xiong was only Grade Eight. Although Zu An was one grade lower, he wasn't without the strength to fight, and with Qiu Honglei's assistance, their chances were still high.

However, a Grade Eight expert would surely have trump cards. If he accidentally escaped, it would be troublesome.

While he was still hesitating, a terrifying tremor came from the direction of the East Palace. The entire Imperial Palace – no, the entire capital – trembled under the immense pressure.

"Let's go!" If it had been before, Zu An would likely have been affected too. But having seen the Emperor's power once in Brightmoon City and having recently met him face-to-face in the Imperial Study, he was already accustomed to his aura. So, while Cheng Xiong, who was behind them, was subdued by this overwhelming aura, he unhesitatingly pulled Qiu Honglei and completely escaped the other party's sensing range.

"Was that the Emperor's doing just now?" Qiu Honglei's voice trembled. She had already guessed, but still refused to believe it.

Before Zu An could answer, the Emperor's command for Zhu Xie Chixin to capture the long-haired woman resounded throughout the entire Imperial Palace.

"Oh no, that's my master!" Qiu Honglei was greatly alarmed and immediately tried to run back. "I have to save my master!"