Chapter 826: White-Haired Witch

Upon hearing Bi Linglong’s words, everyone from Prince Qi’s Residence burst into laughter. “What a joke,” they thought. Lu Xiao was the top master among the retainers in Prince Qi’s Residence, a grandmaster in the mid-stage, and a highly ranked figure even in the capital, which was teeming with experts.

Although Bi Linglong’s cultivation was impressive among her peers, she was too young and simply not on the same level as Lu Xiao.

To speak frankly, even a casual disciple sent by Lu Xiao would have cultivation strong enough to overpower Bi Linglong.

Lu Xiao smiled. “I’ve long heard that the Crown Princess is intelligent and witty, but I never realized until today that you’re even better at telling jokes.”

He then dropped his smile and added, “You’re not qualified to compete with me.”

His tone was calm, devoid of any anger, as if stating something utterly normal.

Even those from the Eastern Palace were perplexed, unable to understand why the Crown Princess would make such a request.

They knew that Meng Pan’s cultivation was superior to the Crown Princess’, yet Lu Xiao had effortlessly killed him without even using his hands. Wasn’t the Crown Princess simply walking to her death?

Zu An also frowned as he looked at Bi Linglong, but he said nothing, knowing that she was not one to speak rashly.

As expected, Bi Linglong stepped forward and coldly stared at Lu Xiao. “I’ll only use one sword strike. If you can survive that, then we can talk about qualifications.”

With that, she pressed a finger to the floral ornament on her forehead. Immediately, a golden light burst forth from her brow, and she slowly ascended into the air. Her previously elegant and refined bun came undone, her dark hair swirling in the wind, making her appear like a goddess about to unleash divine wrath.

“A Ninth-Grade or a Grandmaster?” Wei Pingyang and others from Prince Qi’s Residence were aghast. It was common knowledge that only those above Ninth-Grade possessed the ability to fly. Could the Crown Princess truly be above Ninth-Grade?

But how was that possible?

Yet, they had no choice but to believe, as they felt Bi Linglong’s aura instantly surge.

A terrifying pressure descended instantly. Those nearby began to tremble uncontrollably, dropping to their knees.

Even Zu An, with his cultivation, found it hard to resist, instinctively retreating a few steps.

“The Emperor’s aura?” Zu An looked at Bi Linglong in astonishment. He was all too familiar with this aura; back in Brightmoon City, when the Embroidered Uniform Guards invoked the imperial decree, the Emperor’s single strike had nearly traumatized him.

Zu An had often seen the floral ornament on Bi Linglong’s forehead and had thought it was merely a beautiful accessory, similar to those worn by palace beauties in ancient costume dramas from his previous life. He hadn’t given it much thought, unaware that it was actually a seal, containing an extremely powerful lethal move.

Lu Xiao’s smile also froze. Abandoning his previous relaxed demeanor, he quickly raised both hands, and a transparent energy shield appeared around him, enveloping him.

Even so, an alarm blared in his mind. In that instant, he knew he was locked onto by that terrifying aura, every cell in his body screaming of the imminent threat of death.

He dared not delay, fully mobilizing his cultivation. He quickly set up seven more protective shields around himself, and simultaneously, a precious sword floated above his head—his natal artifact, pledged to live and die with him.

Just then, Bi Linglong opened her eyes, her gaze filled with indifference, like an empress arbitrating all things. Behind her, a golden phantom flickered into existence.

“The Emperor!” Although the figure was blurry, its appearance was faintly discernible, and that distinctly familiar sense of oppressive power finally made everyone from Prince Qi’s Residence understand what was happening.

In that moment, they all felt as if they could wet themselves. After all, the concept of the Emperor’s invincibility was deeply ingrained in their minds; no one dared to confront him, not even those who had reached the Grandmaster realm.

“Linglong is amazing! Kill them all!” the Crown Prince exclaimed, clapping excitedly. Everyone in the Eastern Palace visibly brightened, their earlier despair gone.

So, the Emperor had left such a contingency plan. With the Emperor’s power at play, what did anyone else matter?

Only Zu An was worried at this moment. Could Bi Linglong endure activating such a powerful move, especially since she had only just broken through to the Sixth Grade?

This was different from when the Embroidered Uniform Guards invoked the imperial decree. Back then, they used intricate magical arrays on specially crafted decrees to communicate with the energies of heaven and earth, thereby drawing the Emperor’s divine consciousness.

But Bi Linglong’s move was clearly different. This secret realm now formed its own distinct world, making it impossible for even the Emperor’s divine consciousness to cross over.

Therefore, this move was likely a life-saving measure the Emperor had left for Bi Linglong. However, activating such an immensely powerful move with one’s physical body would surely come at a cost.

Just then, Bi Linglong finally moved. She raised the sword in her hand and lightly swept it in Lu Xiao’s direction.

Simultaneously, the phantom behind Bi Linglong also stretched out a hand and made a sweeping motion, unleashing a massive golden sword energy. It seemed to transcend the concepts of time and space, appearing directly before Lu Xiao.

The seven protective shields he had deployed before him shattered instantly like paper. Then, the sword beam struck his natal treasure sword above his head.

The sword held for a second, but in the next, it broke into countless pieces.

As his natal sword shattered, Lu Xiao spat out a mouthful of blood, his formerly rosy face turning as pale as snow. However, he had no time to recover, instead struggling to raise his hands to try and block the sword energy.

Boom...

A deafening roar, and dust billowed.

In the direction where Lu Xiao stood, a ravine tens of feet deep appeared. All the trees, grass, and rocks along its path were reduced to dust. As for the experts from Prince Qi’s Residence who had been accompanying Lu Xiao, they simply vanished.

Everyone watched in horror. The power of a single sword strike was truly terrifying!

Wei Pingyang and the others instinctively recoiled a few steps. If Lu Xiao couldn’t withstand that sword strike, they certainly had no chance.

Just then, the golden light in the air suddenly dimmed, and with a soft groan, a figure plummeted from above.

“Linglong!” Zu An had been silently observing her condition. Seeing her fall, he immediately flew out and caught her.

However, upon seeing her appearance, he was startled.

A second ago, Bi Linglong’s hair had been dark, but now her smooth, lustrous hair had turned completely white. Her usually radiant, jade-like skin was now dull and lifeless.

Clearly, that sword strike had drained too much of her vital essence.

Hearing his anxious call, Bi Linglong slowly opened her eyes. Seeing that it was Zu An holding her, she felt a slight relief, but then remembering something, she urgently asked, “Am I old and ugly now?”

Zu An shook his head. “No, you’re as beautiful as before. No, even more beautiful than before.”

Bi Linglong let out a faint sigh. “You’re still as good at deceiving people as ever. When the Emperor gave me this floral ornament, he told me it was a life-saving measure, and I should never use it unless absolutely necessary. Otherwise, at best, my beauty would fade; at worst, I would die on the spot.”

Zu An cursed inwardly. What a sneaky old Emperor; why would he give something with such severe side effects? Wasn’t this just setting someone up?

Sensing the hopelessness in her eyes, Zu An quickly said, “Don’t worry. Although you’re weak now, you won’t die. With some good rest, you should recover.”

“My beauty has faded. What’s the point of recovering?” Holding a strand of her pale hair, Bi Linglong’s voice was utterly despondent.

Zu An knew that the more beautiful a woman was, the more she cared about her appearance. Moreover, with Bi Linglong married into the imperial family, what her looks signified was self-evident.

He smiled and comforted her, “You don’t need to be so despairing. Even if your white hair can’t be restored, what of it? Doesn’t it look quite good? Another day, I’ll tell you the story of ‘The White-Haired Witch.’ I’ve always liked the protagonist in it.”

Bi Linglong’s face flushed slightly. “You truly have unique tastes.”

The crowd was still reeling from the power of the recent strike, many not yet recovered from the shock, so no one paid attention to their whispered conversation.

Just then, a shrill laugh rang out. “Hahahaha, I’m alive! I’m alive!”

Bi Linglong’s expression changed, and she quickly turned her head towards the source of the sound. A blood-soaked figure emerged from the deep ravine. He had barely an inch of intact skin on his body, and his left arm was missing entirely, yet he was still alive.

“Brother Lu!” Wei Pingyang and the others from Prince Qi’s Residence cheered excitedly.

Lu Xiao’s eyes, filled with venom, fixated on Bi Linglong. “What a pity, what a pity! Your cultivation is too low to fully unleash the power of that sword strike. Furthermore, this secret realm forms its own world, cutting off your sword’s connection with the Emperor. That’s why I managed to cling to life. However, you caused my natal sword to shatter and severed my arm, which will never recover. For this grudge, I will surely make you pay!”

Ordinarily, cultivators above the Seventh Grade possess self-healing abilities. As long as vital areas like the head are not damaged, they can generally recover with rest, and regenerating a severed arm is not difficult. However, his arm was severed by the Emperor’s aura. Unless his cultivation could completely expel the Emperor’s aura from his body, his arm would never recover.

But who in the world possessed the ability to expel the Emperor’s aura?