Chapter 827: Borrowing Him for My Enjoyment

Lu Xiao no longer possessed the ethereal, immortal-like demeanor he had at the beginning. His eyes were filled with intense malice. Clearly, no one could remain calm and composed after suffering such a massive defeat.

Seeing that he was still alive, everyone on the Crown Prince's side instantly plummeted from heaven to hell. Bi Linglong quickly urged Zu An, "Run! Don't worry about us... Ah...?"

She suddenly realized Zu An was no longer beside her. A blur streaked past, and Zu An was already in front of Lu Xiao.

While everyone else despaired, he did not. He keenly perceived that although Lu Xiao was still alive, the previous move had gravely wounded him, likely leaving him with little power to resist.

In fact, the longer they waited, the more trouble they would be in once he recovered.

Lu Xiao hadn't expected such speed from him. A flicker of panic crossed his eyes, and he hastily leaned backward.

Under normal circumstances, with his cultivation, avoiding such an attack would have been effortless. But now, severely wounded and barely alive by a miracle, he had no strength left to resist.

Just as Zu An's sword was about to pierce Lu Xiao's throat, a streak of light suddenly flew in. With a clang, it deflected the fatal blow.

Zu An felt a tremendous force transmit through his hand, nearly causing him to drop the Tai'a sword.

Without a moment's hesitation, he continued to thrust at Lu Xiao, hoping to seize this rare opportunity to kill a Grandmaster.

He abandoned the intricate movements of the Snowflower Divine Sword, switching instead to the direct and straightforward "Evil-Repelling Sword Art," attempting to stab his opponent along the shortest path and at the fastest speed.

To everyone watching, his figure blurred into an afterimage, ceaselessly striking at Lu Xiao's vital points.

Unfortunately, each of his attacks was blocked by the streak of light. No matter how tricky or unorthodox his sword strikes were, the light consistently reacted later but arrived first, intercepting every single one.

Zu An stopped his assault. He ceased attacking, having confirmed during their exchanges that his efforts were futile.

At that moment, a figure slowly drifted over from the air. The streak of light returned to his side, humming and emitting a dragon-like cry, revealing itself to be a flying sword.

Mi Li's voice came, "Grandmasters begin cultivating their divine soul. Within the range of their divine sense, none of your moves can escape their perception, which is why they always seem to anticipate your every action."

Hearing her familiar voice, Zu An involuntarily let out a sigh of relief. "Empress Sister, you've finally woken up."

Mi Li hummed in acknowledgment, then fell silent again, appearing to be deep in thought.

Zu An, however, had no time for such considerations. He urgently asked, "Do I have a chance this time?"

"Not even a slight chance," Mi Li stated bluntly.

Zu An was speechless.

"Not even with all my special abilities and cheats?" he asked again, unwilling to give up.

"It's precisely because you have those cheats that you stand a one in ten chance of survival; otherwise, you'd be dead for sure," Mi Li snorted. "Your enemies this time are different from before. There's a qualitative difference between a Grandmaster and a ninth-rank cultivator. Under their divine sense, you have nowhere to hide; all your attacks and evasions are meaningless. If it were just one Grandmaster, with your heaven-defying combat ability, you might have a chance to fight. But now there are two Grandmasters, two ninth-rank cultivators, and a host of other eighth and seventh-rank masters. How do you expect to fight that?"

"I advise you to run quickly now, while Lu Xiao hasn't fully recovered. You might still save your life. Otherwise, once he's recovered, you won't be able to escape."

Zu An looked back at Bi Linglong, Pu Duandiao, Jiao Si Gun, and his other friends from the Crown Prince's faction in the distance, falling silent.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Lu Xiao and Wei Pingyang were conversing.

"If you had arrived a moment later, you'd be collecting my corpse," Lu Xiao said, his voice laced with dissatisfaction, clearly still shaken by the recent event.

"Don't be angry, Brother Lu, haven't I arrived just in time?" Wei Pingyang said with a smile, his gaze falling on Lu Xiao's severed arm. He sighed, "A mere wisp of the Emperor's aura left on her, yet it was so incredibly powerful. Truly terrifying."

Lu Xiao nodded, still shaken. "Fortunately, this secret realm has been a bit peculiar lately; it seems to be able to sever the connection between that wisp of aura and the outside world. If this had happened in the outside world, I would have lost more than just an arm."

"It seems Heaven's will favors Prince Qi," Wei Pingyang chuckled. "Brother Lu, how long until you recover?"

"One hour. I'll recover my combat strength in an hour, but..." Lu Xiao's gaze fell on his empty left shoulder. "My left arm, I'm afraid, won't be able to regenerate."

High-rank cultivators possess powerful regenerative abilities, which are even faster for Grandmasters. Although Lu Xiao's injuries looked horrific, the most severe were the destruction of his life-bound sword and his severed arm. Other injuries would be easier to heal.

Wei Pingyang even felt a touch of secret joy. For years, Lu Xiao had overshadowed him, but after this battle, even if he recovered, his cultivation realm would surely drop. The title of Prince Qi's foremost guest probably belonged to him now.

Prince Qi had always strictly forbidden internal strife among his subordinates, and with so many of Prince Qi's experts watching, Wei Pingyang hadn't dared to withhold help. However, a sense of schadenfreude was unavoidable.

"Very well, Brother Lu, focus on healing. I, Wei, will guard you." He stood beside Lu Xiao, then waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to tighten their encirclement.

"Crown Princess, how about I, Wei, also try to take one of your sword strikes?" Wei Pingyang's tone held a hint of mockery; he clearly saw that Bi Linglong's current state absolutely prevented her from unleashing a second sword attack.

Bi Linglong was secretly furious but had no mind to retort. Instead, she looked solemnly at her subordinates. "Everyone, it seems we are likely to die here today. You are free to switch allegiance to Prince Qi's manor right now. Linglong will have no complaints whatsoever."

Zhao Xi burst out laughing. "What are you talking about, Crown Princess? We are all fine men chosen by our respective families. How could we do such a servile thing? Besides, given the gravity of today's events, how could they possibly leave any survivors to leak the news? Rather than die in humiliation after surrendering, it's better to fight a good, clean battle!"

Zu An secretly nodded. Zhao Xi usually appeared rough and crude, but unexpectedly, there was a subtle shrewdness to him.

In truth, many people had been wavering just moments ago, but hearing Zhao Xi's words, they all completely dismissed any other thoughts. One by one, they roared, "Fight to the death! Fight to the death!"

Wei Pingyang sneered, "Commendable courage, but ultimately meaningless."

He waved his hand, and his voice turned cold: "Leave no one alive!"

"Kill!" After a volley of arrows, Prince Qi's assassins roared and surged forward, converging on their targets.

"Hold your formation strictly!" Bi Linglong was incredibly weak now, barely able to stand steadily by leaning on Zu An, yet she persistently commanded her subordinates.

These individuals were the elites of their respective families. If properly organized, they could still put up a fight. If their formation broke, they would truly be lambs to the slaughter.

Seeing the Crown Princess practically lying against another man, no one on the Crown Prince's side raised an objection; it was as if this was how things should be. At this moment, they desperately maintained their formation to resist Prince Qi's assault.

In contrast, Wei Pingyang mocked, "Zhao Ruizhi, oh Zhao Ruizhi, your wife is lying in another man's arms, yet you remain indifferent. To be a Crown Prince like this is an absolute disgrace to the imperial family. Why don't you abdicate and let Prince Qi take over?"

The fat Crown Prince paused, then looked up at Wei Pingyang in mid-air. "Can't a wife lie in another man's arms?"

Wei Pingyang scoffed, "Nonsense!"

"Then where's your wife?" the Crown Prince asked with a curious expression.

"My wife is naturally at home outside," Wei Pingyang snorted.

The Crown Prince continued, "You said you've been here for many years and haven't returned home in all this time. Perhaps your wife is also lying in another man's arms."

"You!" Wei Pingyang's face instantly flushed crimson. He hadn't expected to be outwitted by a fool.

At that moment, the Crown Prince added, "Brother Zu has always been very good to me and has saved my life several times. He's my good friend, and I, the Crown Prince, am happy to let him use my wife. But you, you're bullying Linglong and me. Once I get out of here, I'll confiscate your property, wipe out your clan, and make sure your wife also lies in another man's arms."

*Pfft*...

Even some of Prince Qi's own men couldn't help but chuckle.

"You infuriate me!" Wei Pingyang fumed, smoke practically coming out of his seven orifices. "Fat idiot, don't dream of leaving here alive."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a flying sword transformed into a streak of light and directly struck the Crown Prince's chest.