Zu An was worried that Qiu Honglei’s master would be cut in half, but she had somehow managed to flip the entire situation around. Despite that, Zhuxie Chixin’s wound didn’t look too serious, and he was clearly still able to carry on.

What Zhuxie Chixin had said concerned him the most, though. Grandmaster rank!

This woman is a grandmaster?

Couldn’t he now boast that he had survived an attack from a grandmaster?

The long-haired woman didn’t reply, but casually waved her hand. Qiu Honglei and the others who were holding up the rear were gently pushed out of the eastern palace by an unseen force.

Zhuxie Chixin quickly gave out orders. “Guo Zhi, have some of your men escort the crown prince to safety. Zhao Yuan, lead some of the troops and go after the assassins. Golden Token Eleven, disperse the members of the Embroidered Envoy who are present to the various palace gates and inform the garrison generals about the situation. We cannot let a single assassin escape. All those who go against my orders are to be killed. There will be no exceptions!”

The Imperial Guard within the imperial palace were split into four main troops: The left troop, the right troop, the guerilla warfare troop, and the brave riders.

Guo Zhi was the Right Guard General. Zhao Yuan was the Guerilla Warfare General, and was part of the royal family, although his bloodline was only distantly related to the current emperor’s bloodline.

So much had happened within the imperial palace so far this day, and the entire Imperial Guard was in chaos. No one knew if the Right Guard General and Brave Rider General were by the empress’ side, or somewhere else. Either way, they hadn’t shown up here.

Guo Zhi and Zhao Yuan had only just arrived with their men.

These four great generals were all eighth rank experts. As long as Zhuxie Chixin could stall this long-haired woman, who had the highest cultivation, they would be more than enough to deal with the remaining assassins.

“Understood!” answered both generals. Even though Zhuxie Chixin wasn’t of a higher military rank than them, he was the emperor’s most trusted aide, which granted him the authority to command them.

The two of them also looked at Zu An in surprise. Weren’t there only ten golden-token embroidered envoys? When did they promote another one?

Zu An was secretly grumbling. I didn’t want to do anything! Why the hell are you pushing shit onto me?

However, he figured that this would at least allow him to see if Qiu Honglei made it out safely, so he gladly accepted the orders.

When he passed by the crown princess, she suddenly said, “Lord Eleven, please be careful!”

Zu An was stunned. However, he still clasped his fist and said, “Thank you, crown princess.”

He quickly took his leave. Just before he left, he gave the long-haired woman who was hovering in the air one last look. Her clothes were fluttering about, her figure as dazzling as the moon, and as fleeting as the clouds.

He sighed. When will I become that awesome?

Despite being in the air, she didn’t seem to be at that great an altitude. He suddenly remembered that there was a formation covering the capital that restricted cultivators from flying. He pushed these thoughts aside and ordered all the bronze-token envoys under his charge to disperse to the respective palace gates and inform the guards of the news.

The envoys were stunned. “My lord, don’t you need anyone at your side?”

Zu An waved his hand. “The leader of the scoundrels is being held up by Lord Zhuxie, and none of the remaining assassins are a match for me. You all need to stay together so that you can watch each other’s backs.”

He had to find a way to get Qiu Honglei out, he obviously didn’t want anyone at his side to hold him back.

Of course, none of the other embroidered envoys knew that. Instead, they were full of admiration. Golden-token envoys truly had profound cultivations. Quite a few of them had witnessed his battle in the eastern palace, so none of them doubted what he said.

“Thank you, Lord Eleven, for your concern!”

After the embroidered envoys thanked him, they dispersed quickly towards the palace gates to which they had been assigned.

Their grateful expressions almost made Zu An burst out laughing. It felt truly amazing to scam others and still be thanked for it.

He quickly buried his mirth and began his search for Qiu Honglei.

He remembered that the long-haired woman had sent Qiu Honglei east, so he subconsciously took off in that direction. He didn’t know if he would run into Qiu Honglei. For all he knew, she might have already left the imperial palace.. He could only leave it to fate.

It didn’t take long for him to hear sounds of slaughter coming from nearby, and he quickly rushed towards the source.

He found himself in a rock garden and noticed a group of guards surrounding several black-clad individuals, who were struggling to protect one of their comrades.

“Qiu Honglei!” Zu An immediately recognized her. The two of them had crossed blows recently, so he quickly recognized her despite the veil covering her face.

He assessed the guards, and his heart sank immediately. These weren’t ordinary guards, but well-trained subordinates led by a man in golden armor. Their leader’s helmet was similar to that of Right Guard General Guo Zhi and Guerilla Warfare General Zhao Yuan, which marked him as someone of the same rank.

It’s probably Left Guard General Cheng Xiong. Zu An deduced quickly. He was an eighth rank expert.

The assassins were heavily outnumbered to begin with, and they had to contend with Cheng Xiong, an eighth-ranked expert. Qiu Honglei’s group was about to fall apart. If not for the presence of the expert who had faced off against the crown prince’s lesser tutor, they would have been finished off a long time ago.

Unfortunately, this particular Devil Sect expert had clearly been greatly injured in the battle in the eastern palace. He was no match for Cheng Xiong, who was in peak condition.

His other companions had mostly been either killed or captured. The remaining Devil Sect expert quickly grabbed Qiu Honglei and shoved her away. “Get out of here!”

Qiu Honglei’s eyes were filled with tears, but she knew that now wasn’t the time to act emotionally. She clenched her teeth and fled frantically. She did not want her comrades’ sacrifices to be in vain. However, Cheng Xiong’s sinister laughter followed after her. “Where do you think you’re going?”

His palm smashed into the last Devil Sect expert’s chest. The Devil Sect expert froze for a moment, then collapsed. Before he could crawl back up, the blades of the guards around him were already pressed against his neck.

Cheng Xiong didn’t stop, but took off after Qiu Honglei. He was certain he could catch up to her within three breaths. After all, this assassin was merely at the sixth rank. The difference between them was too great.

Qiu Honglei knew that the enemy was rapidly approaching from behind her, and despair overcame her immediately.

A slight bitterness bubbled up within her heart. “That idiot risked his life to protect the crown princess, yet now that something’s happened to me, I don’t see him anywhere.”

Of course, she knew that such a complaint was unreasonable. After all, her sect members had fled in all directions, so that they wouldn’t be completely surrounded after leaving the eastern palace. Their group had been unlucky, and just happened to run into the incoming Left Guard General.

Even she couldn’t have predicted her own poor luck, so how could Zu An have? Given the size of the palace, it would be impossible for him to find her even if he wanted to rescue her.

She touched the dagger at her waist, and a look of determination spread across her face. Everyone on this mission had agreed to pretend to be King Qi’s men if they were captured, because all those who had been chosen for this mission were elites who didn’t fear death.

Even so, she knew that she couldn’t be captured, even if everyone else was. Firstly, she held a special place within the sect, and secondly, she was a woman, and beautiful one as well. Once captured, she would suffer unbearable humiliation.

She had already resolved to die during this mission. The men of the sect had all sacrificed themselves for their grand ideal. How could she be any different?

Her one regret was that she wouldn’t be able to see that fellow again before she died…

Right at that moment, a blade of flame several meters in length came crashing down, and her face turned pale. The imperial palace was truly filled with an endless number of experts. She might not even be able to get the easy death she wished for.

Surprisingly, the incoming flame blade did not strike her. Instead, it crashed down beside her and onto the pursuing Cheng Xiong.

Alarmed by this sudden development, Cheng Xiong crossed his arms in front of himself. The steel rings around his arms spun quickly, sending out an ear-piercing sound. He uncrossed his arms and leapt into the air like a massive tiger, roaring as he charged towards the source of the flame blade.

*Boom!*

A tremendous noise erupted, and the rock garden he landed in was crushed into powder. With a wave of his hand, he swept away the incoming smoke and dust. The assassin was already nowhere to be seen.

A terrifying pressure suddenly spread outward from the direction of the eastern palace. It was hard for him to remain standing, even with his cultivation. He turned towards the eastern palace with a look of shock. “Even His Majesty has gotten involved. Who is worthy of his personal interference?”