One of the assassins facing the crown prince’s lesser tutor rushed at Zu An.

Seventh rank!

Zu An quickly deduced his cultivation from his charge.

He began cursing in his heart. This fellow is clearly the number two expert attacking Cao Hou. Why the hell is he leaving him behind and coming after me instead? He’s even bringing some of his buddies along, all of them at the sixth rank!

Where is your integrity? You should be attacking Cao Hou or the crown prince. Why the hell are you coming at me?!

Zu An felt this way because he didn’t truly know what a golden-token embroidered envoy represented. He hadn’t spent enough time as a member of the Embroidered Envoy to fully understand this.

There were only ten golden-token envoys in the entire Embroidered Envoy, and every single one of them were sharp and reliable. The most basic requirement was powerful cultivation, and they were all the strongest amongst the Embroidered Envoy.

They were all at the seventh rank at least, and it was rumored that some were even at the ninth rank.

Huang Huihong, who had been sent to arrest Zu An, was only a silver-token envoy. This illustrated just how high-ranking a golden-token envoy was.

In the eyes of these assailants, the threat posed by a single golden-token envoy was even greater than that posed by the crown prince’s lesser tutor ,Cao Hou.

After all, they didn’t know which one of the golden-token envoys it was. If he was at the ninth rank, the fight was all but over.

They had to pit their greatest strength against him right from the start.

Zu An didn’t dare show any negligence. He quickly raised his palm to ward off the seventh-ranked assassin.

The assassin felt his own strength disappear, leaving him horrified. “Holy shit, this one is at least at the eighth rank!”

He didn’t know that this was because of the Heaven Devouring Sutra, and therefore put it down to his opponent’s cultivation surpassing his own. However, Zu An didn’t seem like a ninth rank to him. If his opponent had been at the ninth rank, the palm strike would have ended his life.

The assassins cursed their bad luck. If only it had been a seventh-ranked envoy instead!

All those defending the crown prince were stunned. The crown princess swiveled her beautiful eyes in his direction. She had to properly thank this individual when everything was over.

Zu An was baffled as well. He knew that his cultivation couldn’t be evaluated through ordinary means, but the fact that he was facing someone at the peak of the seventh rank without being at a disadvantage was still unexpected.

I’m already this strong?

Two more assassins rushed at him, one from the right and one from the left, clearly intending to alleviate some of the pressure on their seventh-ranked companion.

Zu An knew that these assassins were proficient in the art of killing, so he didn’t dare take them lightly. It would be a disaster if he were to be defeated and exposed.

He didn’t want to reveal his identity by using his usual set of skills, so he harnessed the Heaven Devouring Sutra instead. Even though he couldn’t form black holes like Wu Geng had back then, he could already form a powerful vortex in his palm.

It completely sucked away the ki from the longsword of the assassin on the left. With a twist, he crushed the sharp longsword into an unrecognizable lump of steel.

Alarmed, the assassin quickly withdrew, but Zu An wasn’t about to give up on such a great opportunity. Speed was his forte. He rushed over and smashed a palm against the assassin, who spurted out a stream of blood.

All those present were stunned. This man is so strong!

Even the lesser tutor, Cao Hou, gave him a look of surprise. Who is this Embroidered Envoy? Why can’t I see through his cultivation? His cultivation didn’t seem that high… Could it be that he is hiding his aura through a great skill, and that he is pursuing a dao that is close to the natural laws? Could this man’s cultivation be far above mine, which is why I cannot understand him?

The crown princess was starry-eyed. It wasn’t that she liked this Embroidered Envoy, She was merely comforted by the presence of a reliable protector at such a critical moment.

The looks of adoration directed at Zu An left him on cloud nine.

What’s the point of cultivation? It’s obviously for showing off!

At the same time, he sighed in amazement. The Heaven Devouring Sutra was a supremely useful skill. It could neutralize an opponent’s attack, making it practically impossible for them to evaluate his real cultivation. It turned him into a wolf in sheep’s clothing!

Of course, he wasn’t going to show off the cultivation-absorbing ability of the Heaven Devouring Sutra. He did not want to become a public enemy of the entire world. This ability would have to be used in secret.

You have successfully trolled Qiu Honglei for 123 Rage points!

…

He received a continuous stream of notifications for the Rage points he was accumulating. These assassins had clearly been angered by the death of their companion. However, one name left Zu An stunned.

Qiu Honglei?

She’s here as well?

Zu An immediately scanned the battlefield. Almost everyone was wearing black, and the battlefield was enveloped in chaos. It was hard to tell who was who.

While he was momentarily distracted, the assassin on the right attacked again.

Zu An deftly evaded this attack. His main opponent was the seventh-ranked individual. That man posed the greatest threat.

The seventh-ranked expert used all his skills when he saw Zu An flying at him. Seizing the initiative right now was absolutely vital.

Zu An frowned, and secretly summoned Hundredwarble to launch a spiritual attack.

There was no way this seventh rank was Qiu Honglei, so he did not feel a need to hold back.

He desperately wanted to maintain a low profile, but his opponent was way too strong!

In that case, he’d just pretend to be a great master. Either way, he had a mask on right now, so no one knew his true identity.

He was only worried that he might end up ruining whatever Qiu Honglei’s plan was. Unfortunately, that was outside of his control. He could only take things one step at a time, and secretly rescue Qiu Honglei afterwards.

There was no way his seventh-ranked opponent could have anticipated this attack. His vision blurred, and he immediately felt dizzy. When he finally snapped out of his daze, a palm had already been smashed into his body. He was flung to the ground, blood gushing out of his mouth.

A sword was thrust towards Zu An’s back. The assassin he had evaded earlier was back on the offensive.

As his sword thrust out, he saw Zu An seriously wound his seventh-ranked companion, and his entire body went cold. He knew that this would probably be the end of him. Unfortunately, his sword had been thrust forward, and it was too late to retract it. He leaned into the attack with all his strength, risking it all on one blow.

Two of Zu An’s fingers darted out and clamped down on his sword. With his other hand, he sent a strike flying towards the assassin.

“Shining Finger?” The assassin exclaimed in shock.

Zu An was taken aback. I’ve already deliberately changed my technique, but it was still recognized!

Few people in the world had seen this technique, and those who knew its name were even fewer in number.

However, he had never heard this assassin’s voice before!

He suddenly remembered that Qiao Xueying had deliberately changed her voice to hide her identity, and he was struck with a moment of realization. He moved his hand three inches to the side so that the other party could easily evade his blow. “Honglei?”

No wonder this assassin was so flexible! Sigh, I’m not familiar enough with her body. Otherwise, I would’ve recognized her from the start.

“Ah Zu?” The assassin cried out in surprise. She reverted to her original voice.

Zu An was overjoyed. As they fought, Zu An sent his voice to her via ki transmission. “Why are you a part of this assassination?”

She seemed much weaker than usual, probably because she did not have her Empress Lantern. Using it would surely have exposed her identity.

“How did you become an Embroidered Envoy?” replied Qiu Honglei with a question of her own.

“It’s a long story,” Both of them said at the same time.

Zu An felt slightly pained by the situation. “Let me find a way out for you first.”

Qiu Honglei shook her head. “No. We’re all in on this, and have no way to retreat. We must kill the crown prince.”

“When did your Devil Sect come into conflict with the crown prince?” Zu An was confused.

“It’s hard to explain everything right now. I can't just leave my companions and run off on my own right now, can I?” Qiu Honglei was extremely troubled. She had convinced herself that she would succeed in this mission or die trying, but now that she had met Zu An again, she discovered that she didn’t want to die. Unfortunately, there was no way for her to escape alone.

The two continued to converse while fighting. It looked like a dangerous battle, but two intelligent individuals working together could make any situation go smoothly.

The rest of the combatants were confused. This golden-token envoy had just finished off a seventh-ranked expert almost instantly. Why was he having trouble with this new opponent, who was only at the sixth rank?

Those allied with the eastern palace wondered if this sixth-ranked individual possessed some secret skill.

The rest of the assassins were overjoyed. “All hail our Lady Saint! She is truly formidable!”

Qiu Honglei’s expression suddenly changed, and she sent out a warning. “Be careful, my master has arrived!”