Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 501 Luo Yuheng's Heartbeat (7,000 words)
Under the bright moonlight, Song Yan's face was deathly pale.

Blood sprayed onto the iceberg.

The iceberg, pure yet subtly blue, is stained with a striking crimson.

Soon the blood was melted by the ice water and slowly slid down the slope of the iceberg. As it flowed through the crisscrossing, hidden patterns on the iceberg, it strangely seeped in and transformed into strange, crimson threads, densely packed, as if weaving a scarlet net deep within the iceberg.

Song Yan exhaled.

Some more blood foam spurted out.

His face was as pale as paper.

His chest was still heaving rapidly, and with each breath, his heart and lungs burned with pain. He knew that his injury this time must be very serious... After all, that was a ninth-grade martial artist. A palm strike without holding back would probably kill an eighth-grade martial artist on the spot. He was only a sixth-grade martial artist, and he was already very lucky to still be able to breathe.

The internal organs seemed to have shifted, or perhaps they had been shaken and cracked; several ribs were also broken.

Warm liquid dripped uncontrollably from my nostrils; it was probably blood.

He must look quite disheveled right now.

It's bad.

Normally, with experts like Hua Lian Yue, Luo Tian Xuan, or at least her sister-in-law Zi Yu protecting him, he couldn't help but occasionally have thoughts like... "Ninth-rank martial artists aren't so scary after all" after spending so much time with them. Now, having personally experienced the attack of a ninth-rank martial artist, he finally understood just how terrifying their destructive power truly was.

It is also thanks to his regular practice of the Vajra Arhat Technique that his physical strength far surpasses that of martial artists of the same level.

Otherwise, with that palm strike that just landed on his back, an ordinary sixth-rank martial artist's heart would probably have been shattered on the spot, and he wouldn't have had a chance to live for more than a few seconds.

My consciousness is somewhat blurred.

Song Yan shook his head vigorously to clear his mind.

"Um..."

A faint groan came from behind me.

Song Yan couldn't help but grin. Although his face was covered in blood and he looked quite disheveled, there was still a hint of smugness in his eyes.

Because of the distance, Song Yan noticed the woman in black rushing towards him.

Ninth rank, sixth rank.

The difference is just too obvious.

Therefore, thoughts such as raising a hand to stop the opponent, exchanging palm strikes, or fighting with internal strength never crossed my mind.

He's only a sixth-rank martial artist; he'd have to be crazy to exchange blows with a ninth-rank expert.

In that instant, Song Yan could only think of one solution: mutual destruction, or even mutual annihilation... So without the slightest hesitation, he took out a shotgun that had been improved once again and had an increased amount of gunpowder in the bullets.

Moreover, this time the bullet was a single-pitch bullet.

Although its attack range is not as wide as that of a shotgun, its damage to a single target is even greater.

Song Yan couldn't help but turn his head and saw the woman in black standing a few steps away, some viscous liquid gushing out from her waist and dripping onto the ground, making a splashing sound.

Her night clothes were almost completely soaked, and the strong smell of blood was even stronger than that on Song Yan. Upon closer inspection, a large tear was found in the night clothes at the waist, and the fabric had disappeared. A bullet had grazed the side of the woman in black, scraping off a large piece of flesh.

Song Yan clicked his tongue in slight dissatisfaction. He hadn't had time to turn his head and lock onto the target before, so he could only aim by the shadows seen through the iceberg. In addition, the distance was very close, with the muzzle almost touching his body, so there was no way to dodge. He had originally aimed at the chest, but the bullet hit his waist instead. The deviation was a bit outrageous. He didn't know if it was an incorrect aiming position or if the accuracy was comparable to the Type 14 Nambu.

The shotgun had a strong impact; a cloud of smoke slowly dissipated in mid-air, and the impact also lifted the veil from the woman in black.

A deathly pale face came into Song Yan's view.

To be fair, that face wasn't ugly, it was even quite beautiful... Although she couldn't compare to Tianxuan, Tianyi, Ziyu, or even Luo Yuheng, she was still a beauty among beauties. However, the pair of dark, sinister eyes on her snow-white cheeks made Song Yan instinctively dislike her... Her face was gentle, with very soft facial curves, but she had a pair of venomous snake-like eyes.

Looking at the flesh torn from her waist, the huge wound must have been very painful. The impact of the shotgun blast may have also damaged her internal organs, and her face was contorted in pain.

Song Yan smiled smugly: "Unexpected, aren't you? Surprised, aren't you?"

He felt he had reason to be proud, after all, to seriously injure a ninth-grade martial artist with the strength of a sixth-grade cultivator was a feat rarely seen in decades.

The woman's expression turned even uglier, her face contorted with rage, her eyes gleaming with a murderous intent.

The woman wanted to rush forward and finish off that despicable bastard Song Yan with another blow, but seeing the strange, dark object in Song Yan's hand, she ultimately held back. She didn't know what kind of hidden weapon it was, only that she had no chance of dodging it. The moment she heard the sound, the excruciating pain of her flesh being torn apart shot into her mind. She wasn't sure if that dark iron pipe would spray out another deadly weapon, so she dared not be careless in the slightest.

Just then, Song Yan suddenly raised the muzzle of his gun with his left hand.

The woman was immediately startled and her body suddenly shifted sideways by a full ten feet.

Upon seeing the undisguised malicious smile on Song Yan's face, the woman immediately realized that she had been tricked by Song Yan. Her pale face flushed red with shame and anger... At least for that instant, the hatred and murderous intent she felt towards Song Yan even surpassed that towards Luo Yuheng.

Right nearby, the conflict between Ziyu and the remaining thirty-odd martial artists was taking place in a rather casual and hasty manner. After all, Ziyu was a ninth-rank martial artist, her strength was undeniable, while the other martial artists, although skilled, were at most eighth-rank. They had only been called in by the woman in black to help, and their task was simply to hold off Ziyu, so they had no intention of fighting her to the death.

Suddenly, a loud bang startled everyone. They thought the scene of lightning striking the earth was about to repeat itself. They quickly spread out and instinctively looked towards where the woman in black and Song Yan were. The sound came from that direction.

Even Ziyu habitually cast her gaze towards it.

Seeing that her master was still alive, Ziyu immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness. If her master were to die, she truly wouldn't know how to explain it to Luo Tianxuan and Hua Lianyue. Don't be fooled by the gentle and charming demeanor these two women usually appear when they're around Song Yan; they'll instantly transform into demons if anyone tries to harm Song Yan, their methods more ruthless than anyone else's. If Song Yan were to lose his life, Ziyu couldn't even imagine how these two women would torment her to death.

Ziyu brushed her hand across her chest, and as the encirclement dissipated, she stirred up a gentle breeze, pushing her movement technique to its limit. Under the moonlight, she left afterimages in the backyard of the Prince's Mansion. Many people only felt a momentary daze before their eyes, and when they saw her clearly again, Ziyu was already standing beside Song Yan.

The woman in black tried to stop her, but the slightest movement aggravated the wound on her waist, causing a burning pain.

In the end, nothing was done.

She understood that with her back injury, she was no match for Ziyu.

Damn.

The woman in black felt somewhat annoyed.

She shouldn't have rushed straight to Song Yan's side from the rooftop. If she had looked down from above, drawn her bow and arrow, Song Yan might already be a corpse. Thinking this, the woman in black felt even more regretful, her heart filled with rage.

Ziyu quickly reached out to support Song Yan's arm, her full and slender body shielding him. Her eyes were fixed on the woman in black. When she saw the woman's face, Ziyu was clearly stunned for a moment, tilting her head slightly. Her expression seemed somewhat suspicious and incredulous. Several seconds passed before Ziyu finally couldn't help but exclaim, "You are... Kong Nianhan?"

That's right, it's the most mysterious Princess Consort of Fu, Kong Nianhan, who rarely leaves her home and is known as the "Queen of the Fu Kingdom."

Ziyu would never be mistaken.

Although Kong Nianhan rarely went out, Ziyu was, after all, the Holy Maiden of the Hehuan Sect, which was arguably the largest intelligence agency in Dongling City. Nothing could escape the Hehuan Sect's notice; they even possessed a portrait of Kong Nianhan. She knew that because of Gao Yang, her master's relationship with the Princess Consort of Fu was probably not very good, but surely it shouldn't have reached the point of being life-threatening?

Most importantly, is this still the extremely quiet woman from the Dongling aristocratic circle?

Where did this ninth-rank strength come from?

Even with the Hehuan Sect's intelligence network, this was the first time they had learned that Princess Fu was actually a rare master.

Furthermore, how could Princess Fu have gotten involved with so many martial arts figures?

In an instant, all sorts of thoughts flooded Ziyu's little head, a jumbled mess.

Song Yan raised an eyebrow, not expecting the missing Princess Fu to appear here... It seems that Princess Fu's target is not him. The person she really wants to kill is Luo Yuheng. It just so happens that he appears here and becomes Kong Nianhan's target at the same time.

Upon hearing Ziyu call out her name, Kong Nianhan trembled slightly, her killing intent intensifying. Her scarlet tongue swept across her pale lips, and her cold gaze swept over Ziyu and Song Yan. Clearly, she was assessing how confident she was in killing Song Yan and Ziyu if she launched an all-out attack.

While ninth-rank martial artists are powerful, they can ultimately be overwhelmed by sheer numbers. The strange hidden weapon in Song Yan's hand, though incredibly destructive, seems to have serious limitations; it can't be used casually. Otherwise, if that had happened again, she definitely wouldn't be alive now. Therefore, killing Song Yan and Zi Yu is still quite possible; it would simply mean a few more deaths, a price that's entirely acceptable.

Thinking this, Kong Nianhan's lips curled into a slight cold smile. He raised his right hand, ready to give the order to attack without hesitation. Just then, a noisy sound suddenly came from the side of the Prince's mansion.

Rumble... Rumble... Rumble...

The sound was like muffled thunder.

Kong Nianhan and many other martial artists could feel the ground beneath their feet trembling uncontrollably.

It was as if the earth dragon was about to turn over.

In an instant, everyone's expression changed. No one knew what had happened. Even Kong Nianhan frowned deeply. A martial artist who was close to the courtyard wall dared to leap over it. He had just glanced at the situation outside the wall when a dense rain of arrows, like locusts, instantly enveloped them.

puff puff puff...

The sound of an arrow piercing flesh.

Dozens of arrows pierced the unfortunate martial artist, turning him into a hedgehog.

Losing his balance, he fell directly off the courtyard wall and crashed heavily to the ground.

hiss.

This scene made everyone gasp in shock.

Immediately afterwards, another muffled roar exploded outside the courtyard wall:

"All Silver Armor Guards..."

"Surround the Prince's Palace."

"No one is allowed to enter or leave. Violators will be killed!"

The voice didn't contain any internal energy, yet the roar echoed in everyone's ears, causing their minds to buzz. The word "kill" sent a chill down their spines.

Silver-armored guards!!!
These three words sent chills down the spines of the many powerful martial artists present. Their faces turned extremely pale in an instant, their eyes filled with unyielding fear. This was Song Yan's elite border army, capable of even rivaling the Xiongnu. It was this very army that had stormed into the imperial palace and beheaded ministers one after another in the court.

A soldier might not be of much concern to a martial artist.

They wouldn't even care about three or five soldiers.

However, once the number of soldiers exceeds ten and they form a battle formation, the situation will instantly reverse.

Unless one reaches the Grandmaster level, there is absolutely no chance of fighting against a well-organized army. Moreover, even a Grandmaster-level martial artist, when faced with a large-scale army, can only hope to escape. With good lightness skills and speed, soldiers on horseback cannot catch up in a short time. As for charging into the army formation alone to fight the soldiers, that is completely impossible.

The remaining thirty-odd warriors panicked. They wanted to escape, but it was too late. The rapid sound of hooves came from all directions like raindrops. It was clear that the Silver Armor Guards had completed the blockade of the entire palace in a very short time. They could even vaguely sense the murderous aura rising from all around the palace.

When Ziyu and Songyan heard the commotion outside the Prince's Mansion, they both breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the situation was now settled.

Only Kong Nianhan's lips were trembling.

His eyes were full of unwillingness.

Although she desperately wanted to order the killing of Song Yan and Zi Yu at all costs... especially Song Yan.

Song Yan posed a huge threat to her.

But there was no time left.

If this continues, everyone will die here.

Taking a deep breath, Kong Nianhan shouted sharply, "Everyone, find your own direction and break through!" At his command, the thirty-odd martial artists, who had long lost their will to fight, immediately scattered, searching for directions they thought were safe.

At the side gate of the backyard, a martial artist cautiously peeked out. He had only glanced outside when he saw dozens of military crossbows, their arrowheads gleaming with a chilling light. His expression changed slightly, and he tried to pull his head back, but it was too late.

Sizzle sizzle sizzle.

A series of sharp, piercing sounds suddenly rang out. Before the head could even retract, the crossbow bolts had already pierced through the thin scalp and penetrated the hard skull, leaving dozens of holes in the head. Without even uttering a sound, the person collapsed to the ground, twitched a couple of times, and then fell silent.

Another man, with exceptional agility, stomped his foot on the ground and leaped into the air, landing steadily on a large tree in the backyard. The dense branches and leaves provided natural cover, and the rustling of the leaves in the wind concealed his breathing. His gaze swept over the soldiers riding their warhorses below, a hint of smugness in his eyes.

Trying to escape while the wind rustled the leaves, he had barely put his foot on a branch when his unusual reaction instantly caught the attention of the soldiers below. In an instant, all the silver-armored guards raised their eyes, along with their crossbows... This guy was rather unlucky; the one in charge of this area was a scout among the silver-armored guards, an extremely sensitive person to any slight movement.

Before the person could even dart out from among the leaves, a dense barrage of crossbow bolts had already descended. A scream rang out, and the body tumbled from the branch, riddled with arrows.

Similar situations are playing out everywhere.

After leaving behind seven or eight corpses, the remaining twenty-odd martial artists were forced to return to the backyard. They looked at each other, their faces filled with despair... If you looked closely, you would find that Kong Nianhan was nowhere to be seen among them.

At that very moment, directly in front of the gate, Lei Yi had already drawn his battle sword and kicked the gate of the Prince's Mansion with a flying kick. With a loud crash, the heavy vermilion gate slammed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

Hundreds and thousands of silver-armored guards dismounted, formed neat military formations, and rushed swiftly towards the backyard of the Prince's mansion.

Although there were many soldiers, all their movements were perfectly synchronized. Thousands of military boots pounded the ground simultaneously, creating a thunderous sound that made the earth tremble rhythmically. Before the army even appeared, the twenty-odd highly skilled martial artists were already terrified, their faces turning deathly pale.

The heavy footsteps sounded like drums, each one like a trampling on their chests and hearts.

Their hearts beat involuntarily to the rhythm of the footsteps; all their courage and boldness had long been ruthlessly trampled into pieces.

Finally, the army appeared.

As far as the eye can see, everything is a vast expanse of silvery white.

More than twenty martial artists, unable to even see the soldiers' faces, could only see their silver-white masks, like evil spirits emerging from hell, cold and ruthless.

At the very front of the battle formation, Lei Yi suddenly pointed his battle sword forward:

"Formation."

"kill!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

The thousands of roars blended together, creating a sound even more terrifying than the previous earth-shattering thunder.

In the next instant, the soldiers quickly formed military formations of thirteen men each, and then combined ten formations into a single large formation, charging forward with unstoppable and domineering momentum, even without warhorses.

A group of martial artists stared in horror, their legs trembling.

It was as if what was charging towards them was not a group of soldiers, but hundreds or thousands of ferocious tigers and giant beasts.

In an instant, the army had rushed to the front.

Fear drives people to despair, and despair drives people mad.

The warrior's will collapsed.

A burly, tall eighth-rank martial artist seemed to have completely gone mad. With a scream, he stopped retreating and even took a step forward, raising his long sword high and slashing down at the soldier at the front.

The soldier leaned forward instantly, and with a clang, a large rectangular shield made of solid wood with steel plates attached to the front and back slammed heavily to the ground. Two comrades on his left and right sides also stepped forward at the same time, standing on either side of the shield bearer, and the three of them pressed their shoulders against the inside of the shield.

The defensive stance had barely been completed when, with a clang, the longsword slashed down on the shield.

Immediately afterwards, with a crisp snap, the long sword broke in two.

Weapons forged from ordinary pig iron cannot pierce a shield made of fine steel.

However, the immense strength of an eighth-rank martial artist eventually penetrated the shield and struck the three silver-armored guards directly. The three men slid backward, their boots carving deep dents into the ground. Their shoulders ached, and with a crack, it was clear that their shoulder bones had broken.

However, most of the power was neutralized by the armor on his body.

Immediately afterwards, two long spears appeared on either side of the shield, and with two soft thuds, they pierced into the abdomen of the eighth-rank martial artist.

Just as the eighth-rank martial artist was in pain, the soldiers on the left and right rushed forward, and spears and steel blades rained down on the martial artist. In just a moment, the eighth-rank martial artist was chopped into mincemeat.

boom! boom! boom!
The army swept through and trampled them, and then... nothing happened.

More than twenty mutilated corpses were found in the backyard of the Prince's mansion.

After quickly pushing the group of martial artists aside, Lei Yi strode to Song Yan's side, straightened his posture, and gave a military salute: "This humble general is Lei Yi. I am late in coming to the rescue. I hope the general will forgive me."

Although somewhat puzzled as to why it wasn't Hua Lianyue and Luo Tianxuan who came, it was good that the problem was solved anyway: "You've come at the right time. Guard this place and don't let anyone disturb you."

He didn't let these soldiers help destroy the iceberg, which was formed from the condensation of cold poison, and ordinary people were helpless against it... Not to mention Lei Yi's soldiers, even Zi Yu couldn't help much. The internal energy of ordinary martial artists was completely incapable of melting the ice layer formed by the cold poison, and it even acted as a catalyst, making it more solid.

Only the "Hundred Flowers Precious Mirror" can dispel the cold poison!
Upon receiving Song Yan's order, Lei Yi waved his hand, and the silver-armored guards who had entered the backyard quickly dispersed, forming a circular formation that surrounded the entire iceberg... In this way, the inside and outside of the Prince's mansion were sealed off by the silver-armored guards, their crossbows were cocked, and their sabers were gleaming. Even if a grandmaster-level expert were to appear, he might not necessarily come out on his own.

From then on, there was no further danger.

Song Yan can finally focus all her energy on the iceberg.

Kong Nianhan's previous palm strike injured his heart meridian, and blood slowly seeped from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.

A dull ache throbbed in his chest, and the pain spread through his brain like ripples, stimulating Song Yan's nerves.

Even his internal energy was somewhat dispersed by the shock.

More and more icebergs are melting.

In the artificial lake, the water has returned to its original state.

However, it remains unknown how long it will take before they are completely melted.

Song Yan desperately channeled his inner energy, but Luo Yuheng's heartbeat, transmitted through the ice, grew weaker and weaker, its frequency decreasing. Song Yan couldn't help but feel anxious.

My eyelids feel heavy.

The dizziness is getting stronger.

Consciousness seems to have reached its limit.

Song Yan even felt her whole body shaking uncontrollably.

The remaining internal energy in his body was dwindling, yet the ice layer in front of him seemed to still be half a meter thick.

Hope is fading little by little.

Luo Yuheng felt as if he hadn't felt his heartbeat in a long time.

Song Yan's eyes had turned bloodshot, and two bloody streaks rolled slowly down her cheeks from the corners of her eyes. Her face was twitching... Her entire body, every muscle in her body, was spasming.

hemp!
acid!
Shen!
pain!
That was the torment caused by the near depletion of internal energy.

Through the ice, Song Yan could see Luo Yuheng's small face, as gentle and serene as ever.

She had her eyes slightly closed, as if she were simply asleep.

Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah……

Suddenly, a near-mad roar and shout came from Song Yan's throat.

Not reconciled.

He didn't want Luo Yuheng to just disappear like that.

He still harbored a small, lingering hope that one day, when he returned home from a long trip, he would see a beautiful figure sitting quietly on the doorstep, waiting patiently. He hoped that Luo Yuheng would tiptoe, gently pat his head with a smile, and say, "You're back."

His eyes were wide open, almost bulging out of their sockets.

A roar like that of a wounded beast came from his throat. At this moment, Song Yan almost squeezed out all the last of his internal energy and poured it into his left hand.

Fingers clenched into a fist.

His eyes were fixed on the iceberg in front of him.

The next second, the fist slammed down with a whoosh.

"Break it for me...!"

This punch contained all of Song Yan's internal energy and strength.

boom!
With one punch, even the iceberg seemed to tremble slightly.

Click.

That refers to the sensation of joints fracturing almost simultaneously.

Blood seeped into the cracks on the iceberg, forming a dense, spiderweb-like pattern that covered the entire ice layer.

Internal force and brute strength seeped through the blood vessels.

A few seconds later...

Snap.

A crisp sound.

Right in front of Song Yan... the iceberg shattered!
In an instant, tiny ice flowers filled the air.

Pure white, scarlet.

Hazy.

Under the moonlight, it refracted a magnificent brilliance.

Without the support of the iceberg, Luo Yuheng's body slowly slumped to the ground.

Song Yan's body was still swaying. His eyes could no longer see anything, only colorful specks of light and indescribable patches. The dull pain in his chest and brain had reached its limit.

The last bit of strength in his body was drained, and his body could no longer support him. He swayed slightly and fell forward.

It didn't hurt as much as I had imagined when I fell to the ground.

He seemed to have fallen onto something soft.

Just before his consciousness completely sank into darkness, he felt a slight tremor.

That's... a heartbeat!
(End of this chapter)