You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

After that political performance in the Imperial Study, Lu Zuo knew that his death was imminent.

But it is also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

We have the opportunity to use the combined strength of the Shen family and the two great masters of the Yin Gui Sect to deal with Li Cheng'an!

He used the underground waterway to secretly send Zhu Yuyan and the others into the palace, avoiding everyone's gaze.

First, they dealt with the guards near Jiangyun Palace, and then used Ren Zhong's confidants to lure Shi Wenqing over.

He then ordered Ren Zhong and Lin Xiaowei of the Right Guard to take advantage of the chaos in the palace and gather a group of loyal followers to put on a show for the Five Cities Garrison.

In this way, it may be possible to subdue this force and deliver a thunderous blow when Li Chengan arrives, completely turning the tide of the battle!

This plan is not very clever; it's nothing more than taking advantage of the chaos and profiting from the misfortune.

But a few key points are very important!

First, could Chen Wu successfully poison the target?

It should be noted that the Black-Clad Guards are absolutely loyal to Li Cheng'an and are the most elite force under his command!

Furthermore, the Black-Clad Guards were experienced innate martial artists, so poisoning them would not be an easy task.

To avoid arousing suspicion, Chen Wu threw the poison into the well and drank the poisoned water himself.

Secondly, can Zhang Lihua and Zhu Yuyan cooperate with the Shen family to deal a heavy blow to Li Cheng'an?

This old eunuch is too skilled in martial arts, too powerful, and has too many loyal followers!

If we don't deal with him, all our efforts will be in vain.

Whether the two would reveal his identity was not even on Lu Zuo's mind.

Such words are just as unbelievable as Shih Wen-ching's claim, "Your subject has come to dispel the evil spell for you."

At most, it sows the seeds of future trouble, giving some unscrupulous people in Chen State a respectable "excuse".

Thirdly, could he kill Shi Wenqing?

With his death, most of the 3,500 city troops will be under his control, greatly increasing his chances of defeating Li Cheng'an!

Victory or defeat, victory or defeat, hinges on this battle!

Clang!

A soft hum suddenly arose, like the low cry of a blue dragon.

Lu Zuo suddenly flicked his wrist, and the Demon Blade Thousand Blades slashed out from its scabbard, the blade scraping violently against the edge of the scabbard, shooting out a string of dazzling sparks.

As the blade was raised horizontally, it was already firmly blocked in front of his chest, like a pool of cold water in the dark night.

Shi Wenqing's blade had already torn through the air, slashing towards him with the force of splitting mountains and cutting off rivers!

The two blades clashed head-on without any fancy moves!

Clang!

Metal and steel clashed, and immense force swept across!

An overwhelming force spread along the blade towards Lu's left arm, causing his blood and qi to surge within him.

Lu Zuo's eyes suddenly sharpened, and he took a series of steps backward. With each step, a paving stone shattered under his feet, reducing some of Shi Wenqing's force.

"How dare you, the thief?"

Ren Zhong glared and was about to draw his sword to help Lu Zuo, but he was held back by a general from the Five Cities Garrison and could not break free.

Meanwhile, the Five City Army, which had defected to Lu Zuo's side, together with the Right Guard Army, engaged in a fierce battle with Shi Wenqing's loyalists!

"hehe……"

Shi Wenqing glanced back at the chaotic battlefield, then suddenly swung his hands, creating two gusts of wind.

Bang!

The two palace doors were swept shut by a strong gust of wind.

He looked at Lu Zuo and sneered, "The setup is not bad."

"For a lowly commoner like you, to have managed to gather a force in such a short time is quite an achievement."

As he finished speaking, his eyes suddenly turned cold: "You are nothing but a lowly beast of inferior blood. It was Eunuch Li and I who placed you on the throne, allowing you to enjoy the highest honors!"

"How dare you defy me?"

Lu Zuo snorted and sneered, "After tonight, my death will be imminent, won't it?"

"Lu was merely trying to save himself."

"besides!"

"You two bastards poisoned me, making me wish I were dead, torturing me for a whole night!"

"I, Lu Zuo, will always remember this debt!"

"Hahahahaha~~!" Shi Wenqing laughed loudly, "So what if I remember?"

"You?"

"Just those few lousy fry outside?"

He scoffed, "Does he still think he can turn the tables and get revenge?"

"Speaking of this most potent poison in the world..."

"Then let me let you taste the bitterness of being caught between life and death once more!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he formed a sword-finger gesture, and an invisible burst of true energy shot out from his fingertip, rushing towards Lu Zuo's liver acupoint.

Lu Zuo's eyes turned cold. This was precisely the acupoint that would activate the "King Yama will call you to die at midnight" technique!

He gripped the hilt of the sword tightly with his right hand, and suddenly swung it upwards. The Demon Blade Thousand Blades flashed with a cold light, and with a bang, shattered the true energy.

Ok?

Whether it was the way this lowly commoner just blocked my attack or the knife I just used, it was enough to prove that his cultivation had greatly improved and that he had already stepped into the Innate Realm!

Shi Wenqing realized this belatedly, and his heart suddenly jolted!

How did he do it?

Just a few months ago he was just an ordinary mortal, but within a few months he advanced to the Innate Realm?

Such things...

Searching through history books, there is nothing like it!

unless……

He has practiced some kind of unorthodox martial arts, or he is a peerless genius who has never appeared in all of history!

It can't possibly be the latter!

When he first met this young man, Eunuch Li examined his bones and muscles.

This lowly commoner is not even a martial arts prodigy, let alone suitable for martial arts training...

"snort!"

"Are they really that confident?"

Shi Wenqing scoffed, "You think you can turn a dog into a human just by practicing a few unorthodox techniques?"

"dog!"

"They'll always just be dogs!"

"For disobedient dogs, I usually break their bones, making them kneel on the ground howling and begging for mercy, regretting their rebellious act of biting their owner!"

"As for you, you dog..."

"It will be a hundred times worse!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the knife was drawn!

Shi Wenqing channeled his innate true energy into the blade, causing it to hum and tremble slightly.

He lightly touched the ground with both feet, and his figure instantly transformed into a sharp and startling swan, shooting out swiftly.

The blade gleamed with a cold light that lingered and remained until it was three feet in front of Lu Zuo. Only then did the arm, which had been poised for a long time, suddenly swing out!

Whoosh!

A clear, moon-like arc of cold light shot out from the tip of the blade, extending outwards and finally breaking free of the blade, transforming into a translucent, chilling blade aura that slashed across the sky.

Wherever it passed, the air was silently cut apart.

"Disperse!"

Lu Zuo flicked his wrist, and a series of cracking sounds echoed throughout the room!

On the thousand blades of the Demon Blade, cracks appeared, and thousands of thin, cicada-wing-like blade fragments containing innate true energy detached and flew away!

Half of the fragments, as if drawn by an invisible force, rapidly spun and pieced together beside him, instantly transforming into a metal barrier.

The other half of the fragment, like a violent storm or an enraged swarm of bees, poured towards Shi Wenqing with a sharp whistling sound!

"What kind of knife is this?"

Shi Wenqing was startled and quickly stopped his attack, parrying with his sword. With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed a flurry of sword shadows in front of him!

Ding ding ding...

A series of clashes of metal, a series of sparks flying.

The shards of the blade scattered across the ground with a series of soft thuds, embedding themselves in the floor tiles.

Before Shi Wenqing could regain his footing, Lu Zuo shot forward like a bowstring being released, tearing through the air with a loud bang!

While he was still in mid-air, the scattered fragments of the Thousand Blades seemed to be summoned by an invisible force, rising from the ground and transforming into thousands of streams of light that converged in his hand.

The fragments meshed precisely, producing a series of crisp "click-clack-clack" sounds, as clear as ice crystals forming!

In the blink of an eye, the demonic blade was reforged!

The next moment!

A condensed, cold light poured down from his hand, carrying a chilling and resolute force, and slashed straight at Shi Wenqing's center gate!