Chapter 704: Mountainous Dead End

The Crown Princess's heart sank. These imperial guards were all Rank 4 or 5, and their armor and weapons were standard issue, inscribed with runic formations. Their armor was sufficient to withstand a full-force attack from a Peak Rank 6 practitioner and could also somewhat reduce the impact of attacks from Rank 7 experts.

Moreover, the sabers they carried had different elemental properties. When working together, they could gradually breach any elemental practitioner's protective shield, regardless of the element. Coupled with their combined attack formations, capturing a Rank 6 practitioner was not difficult, and they even had a fighting chance against a Rank 7 expert.

In any case, if they were entangled, they wouldn't be able to escape quickly. Soon, other pursuers would arrive, and that would be their end.

The Crown Princess gritted her teeth. "Let me go; we'll fight them together!" She was so desperate that she didn't even care that she was unclothed and would be seen by the guards if she fought. If they couldn't deal with these guards quickly, more people would see her later. It was better to fight now.

Zu An ignored her. With a flick of his wrist, he produced his Venomous Dagger. He then activated Sunflower Phantasm, instantly becoming a ghostly blur, transforming into countless afterimages with a single move. The guards' armor offered no resistance, tearing apart as if it were paper. He didn't aim for exposed areas like their hands or necks, as those targets were too small, and he couldn't guarantee a single-hit kill. Time was of the essence.

The guards trusted their armor's defensive capabilities too much and even intended to trade blows. However, they had no idea that the Venomous Dagger could cut through metal like mud, even piercing the vital energy shields of high-level cultivators, let alone their inferior armor. The guards felt only minor scratches and dismissed them, intending to continue surrounding and attacking him. But their bodies suddenly stiffened, and then numerous dark, obscure runes spread from their wounds. Their vision went black, and they all collapsed limply to the ground.

In such a critical moment, Zu An dared not hold back. Furthermore, these guards appeared to be part of the setup orchestrated by his enemies, so he naturally showed no mercy.

The Crown Princess's beautiful eyes widened in astonishment. A second ago, she had been prepared to risk everything to join forces with him and quickly dispatch the guards, but in the next second, he had already dealt with them.

"How did you do that?" she couldn't help but ask, even though she knew it wasn't the time to be curious. Previously, intelligence reports indicated his cultivation was only around Rank 5 or 6. Although the Rank 8 Prince Consort Qi had fallen at his hands, everyone's analysis concluded that it wasn't due to Zu An's strength surpassing the Prince Consort's, but rather the assistance of a mysterious expert acting in secret. Additionally, Zhao Zhi had always been incredibly arrogant and conceited, so his defeat was most likely a result of underestimating his opponent. However, witnessing this scene firsthand, the Crown Princess felt she needed to reassess his true strength.

Zu An didn't answer. He glanced at the guards, then extended his hand, and their bodies were drawn into the space within his Glazed Jewel.

"A storage artifact!" The Crown Princess was discerning and immediately realized that ordinary storage artifacts didn't have much space, making it difficult to contain the bodies of four grown men. Yet, he possessed such a divine artifact.

Her reaction was swift. "Why are you hiding them? Quick, hide me too!" All she wanted now was a safe place to hide, and if she could be concealed within a storage space, she wouldn't be discovered.

Zu An irritably replied, "Storage spaces can't hold living beings. If you want to become a corpse, you can certainly try."

The Crown Princess bit her lip tightly and then continued, "If there's no way to escape, then hide me. I'd rather become a corpse than be discovered like this!" Her inability to remain Crown Princess was secondary. The main issue was that she was unclothed; being exposed publicly like this would be utterly humiliating, not to mention bringing disaster upon the Bi clan. In such a scenario, death would be preferable.

Zu An was somewhat surprised. He largely guessed her thoughts and couldn't help but privately marvel at the strong sense of family honor possessed by women in this world. Chu Yan chose a useless man as a live-in son-in-law for her family, Zheng Dan chose to marry into the Sang clan for her family, and now the Crown Princess was willing to sacrifice even her life for her family.

He didn't stop but continued carrying the Crown Princess and fleeing further away.

"Back to the Eastern Palace!" the Crown Princess immediately said. She knew that since Concubine Bai was targeting her, she wouldn't just send one group of people. There would also be people sent to the Eastern Palace to confirm her absence. The best way to clear her name was to return to the Eastern Palace. That way, as long as she steadfastly denied everything, the other party's scheme would be meaningless.

"Alright!" Zu An agilely pushed off his toes, rapidly darting forward. Along the way, shadows flickered with people, but he always managed to foresee and evade them. At first, the Crown Princess's heart was in her throat several times, but seeing him narrowly avoid danger each time, she couldn't help but slightly relax. This allowed her the chance to look up at him. It was then she realized he was quite handsome: his profile was as chiseled as a marble statue, and his steady, resolute gaze inexplicably instilled a sense of security.

She thought to herself how much better he would be if he acted like this normally, instead of putting on such a shameless, debauched facade that greatly undermined his demeanor. She felt her heart beating rapidly, an unprecedented sensation. Naturally, she didn't understand this was the so-called "suspension bridge effect," and subconsciously pressed herself tighter against his chest. His embrace felt as warm as Master Eleven's... As soon as the thought arose, she quickly suppressed it. How could that be? How could he compare to Master Eleven? Nevertheless, he certainly possessed some skill!

Zu An had no time to spare to notice her expression. At that moment, he was giving his full attention, using his Jade Cong to control various nearby animals, using their eyes to scout ahead and determine the guards' encirclement directions. It was as if he had a radar map in his mind, which allowed him to narrowly avoid detection every time.

However, the commotion was growing louder, with more and more guards rushing to the scene, leaving fewer and fewer openings for escape. Several times, he was only half a second away from being discovered. But the goddess of fate wouldn't always favor him. During one evasion, he was finally spotted by suddenly appearing guards. Although he quickly dealt with them, he missed the chance to escape the encirclement. In truth, given the palace's strict defenses, such an opportunity hardly existed; it was merely a matter of being discovered sooner or later.

Zu An, still holding the Crown Princess, flashed into the shadow of a rockery, gasping for breath. The desperate flight had clearly taken a toll on him; both his vital energy and mental reserves were depleted to an unprecedented degree.

"Are we trapped?" The Crown Princess, being highly intelligent, immediately realized their predicament.

"Yes," Zu An replied, his expression grave. More and more guards were converging on their position, leaving no gaps. He could only wait for a potential turning point.

The Crown Princess's face was pale. Suddenly, as if having made up her mind, she said, "Kill me. Hide me in your storage space. You alone might be able to find a way to slip through." It wasn't entirely self-sacrifice; she understood her current situation. Being completely unclothed, she simply couldn't face anyone.

Zu An was also deep in thought, wondering if he could use the "Key" ability to declare that the Crown Princess was currently in the Eastern Palace and teleport her back. However, he was unsure how much spiritual energy such a feat would consume. He recalled that merely saying someone's pants had fallen off had previously caused him splitting headaches and near unconsciousness. He hadn't reached the Grandmaster realm and hadn't condensed his spirit; using the "Key" was still too strenuous for him. He worried that if he directly used the "Key" to send the Crown Princess back to the Eastern Palace, he might instantly dissipate, a risk he dared not take.

He also considered conjuring a set of the Crown Princess's clothes for her, hoping they might be able to bluff their way through if she were dressed. But he didn't know the specific details of the Crown Princess's clothing, and whenever he tried to use the "Key" for it, his mind remained blurry. He gradually understood that the "Key's" "words become reality" ability, to some extent, materialized his thoughts. He had been able to conjure Master Eleven's uniform out of thin air because he wore it daily and naturally knew all its details. But the Crown Princess's clothes... According to palace rules, a subject glancing too often at a concubine was considered disrespectful. While Zu An was bolder and had looked at her a few times, he hadn't worn her clothes himself, so how could he possibly know all the intricate details of her garments? Naturally, he couldn't materialize them.

He had been wondering why their assailants had removed their clothes. He initially thought it seemed too deliberate and easily detectable as a setup. But in that instant, he finally understood. Whether it was a setup or not no longer mattered. The crucial point was that the Crown Princess was found unclothed, embracing another man. As long as this fact was undeniable, their goal would be achieved. Therefore, they couldn't allow any accidents, preferring to invite suspicion by removing both their clothes.

As he pondered, Zu An's expression suddenly changed. Through the vision of the small animals, he saw Zhu Xie Chixin rushing towards them. He could handle ordinary guards, but against the Grandmaster Zhu Xie Chixin... he had no chance of victory.