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

In the pavilion of the royal palace gardens.

"well……"

A woman with a graceful figure, pretty face, delicate nose, and red lips A woman who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old stood under the moonlight, sighing softly.

"Princess, who has upset you?" asked a beautiful woman in palace attire beside her.

"Who else could it be?"

Princess Honglian pouted and said angrily, "Last year, Yu Mingzhu entered the palace, and today Consort Hu has come."

"Father is really going too far!"

The palace maid gave a wry smile: "Princess, kings have always been like this... Hmm?"

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly paused, then withdrew her words.

"What's wrong?"

"It looks like something just flew by?"

Honglian looked up and around, but saw nothing.

"What is there?"

"Perhaps I'm seeing things..."

……

Inside the Liuying Water Pavilion, there was a woman sighing.

Hu Meiren leaned against the vermilion railing by the water, her smoky-colored palace dress smoothly enveloping her graceful curves and delicate body. Her snow-white skin was so tender that it seemed as if you could squeeze water out of it if you reached out and pinched it.

She rested her chin on her hand, gazing at the moon's reflection in the water. A faint sorrow lingered on her exquisite face, and her tightly pursed red lips exuded a pitiful beauty...

"I wonder how my sister is doing now?"

"The King has arrived!"

The palace maid's shrill voice interrupted Consort Hu's thoughts. She quickly put away her sorrowful expression, and her temperament instantly changed, becoming less pitiful and more charming.

She turned around and looked through the palace gate. King Han An, with his pregnant belly, walked in with a gleaming eye and slightly hurried steps on the stone path.

"This humble servant..."

"No need for such formalities, my beauty..."

Upon seeing such an unparalleled beauty, King Han's eyes lit up. Before the beauty could kneel gracefully, he stepped forward and reached out to help her up.

Not bad, not bad...

Bai Yifei is becoming more and more efficient. He has presented such a stunning beauty; he should be rewarded handsomely in return.

"You may all leave."

King Han waved his hand, and the palace servants who had come with him, as well as the palace maids who served in the hall, immediately responded, left the room, closed the door, and shut the windows.

Hu Meiren lowered her head, bit her lip, and looked slightly unwell.

"My beauty, raise your head and let me have a good look at you."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Hu Meiren responded softly and slowly raised her head.

suddenly!

A muffled thud came from the back of his neck, and then everything went black before his eyes, and he completely lost consciousness.

"Oh……"

Lu Zuo looked at Han Wang'an, who had also collapsed to the ground, and sneered, "You should have had Ji Wuye and Bai Yifei by your side every step of the way."

Immediately, he took out the disguise talisman from his personal space, silently activated his true essence, and poured it into it.

hum...

A moment later, a clear buzzing sound rang out, and golden light flashed on the talisman.

"I originally prepared this talisman for Yang Guang, but unfortunately I can't find anyone else, so I can only ask you to make do with it."

Lu Zuo bent down and placed the talisman on Han Wang'an's forehead. The cinnabar patterns on the talisman seemed to come alive, slowly flowing and changing, gradually outlining Han Wang's figure and appearance.

but……

What should I do next? There were no hints when this appeared...

Lu Zuo looked at his unchanged body, and then at the Han King An drawn on the talisman.

"Does it mean... it only works when applied to the body?"

"Let's give it a try."

Thinking of this, Lu Zuo pressed the talisman against his body, and the talisman instantly transformed into a streak of blue light, entering his body.

The next moment!

His bones cracked and popped, his firm muscles quickly relaxed, turning into a body full of fat, and his belly gradually bulged out.

In the blink of an eye, he had transformed into the appearance of King An of Han.

The original body, lying unconscious on the ground, now had the face of an ordinary passerby.

They quickly swapped clothes and then rushed out of the palace gate.

"There's an assassin!"

"Protect the Emperor! There's an assassin!"

That night, an assassin broke into the Liuying Water Pavilion and knocked unconscious the newly arrived Consort Hu, as well as palace maids and servants.

Fortunately, the king reacted quickly, escaped the palace, and summoned the royal guards to capture the assassin.

King Han was furious and ordered the assassin to be castrated and kept in the palace as a slave.

……

The next day, early in the morning.

"Your Majesty, you stayed by my side all night?"

When Consort Hu awoke from her coma, the first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was King Han An, who was sitting cross-legged on the throne.

"My beauty, are you alright?"

Lu Zuo smiled and nodded, took Hu Meiren's hand, and asked softly.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am unharmed... Where is the assassin?"

"They've already been arrested."

"I scare the beauty last night, and I will make it up to you today."

As he spoke, Lu Zuo leaned forward and pushed Hu Meiren, who had just gotten up, back onto the couch.

"Ah, Your Majesty..."

Lady Hu exclaimed in surprise and asked, "May I ask you for a favor?"

"Oh? What is it?"

"My elder sister was forcibly abducted into the manor by Liu Yi, the Left Sima, who intends to force her to marry him."

"Your Majesty, please help me rescue my sister."

Mrs. Hu is still not married.

Lu Zuo's heart stirred: "Alright, as long as you serve me well, I will ensure your sister's safety."

He noticed it last night; the girl knew a little martial arts, though not very much.

However, any increase in cultivation level is welcome, and in the current situation, Lu Zuo has no right to be picky.

……

Two hours later…

Hu Meiren's face was still flushed, her eyes sparkling like spring water as she watched Lu Zuo's departing figure, her palm clutching the slightly wrinkled gauze.

"So... that's how it is."

After leaving the palace, Lu Zuo instructed the palace servants to convey an imperial edict to Liu Yi, ordering him to escort Madam Hu into the palace without fail.

One hundred days is neither a short nor a very long time.

The Dongyang army was imminent, and Lu Zuo was pressed for time and could not afford to delay.

After issuing the decree, he returned to the King of Han's bedchamber and instructed the palace servants: "Tell them that I am not feeling well today and no one is allowed to disturb me."

"Yes."

He came to the couch, sat cross-legged, calmed his mind and focused his energy, trying to break through to the Three Realms Realm.

During his time in the Tang Dynasty, he gained over three thousand cultivation points and various attributes each day by tormenting Fan Qinghui and others.

His cultivation at the Three Realms stage had already broken through the barriers and manifested his divine brilliance.

Next up is... the Skin Maniacs!

The skin is divine, covered with jade-like luster, protecting against external evils. This step of cultivation prioritizes the word "defense".

It includes not only physical defense, but also toxins, mental attacks, charm, corrosion, burning, freezing, and so on.

If this barrier can be overcome, the skin will undergo a transformation, allowing the skin's surface to contain true essence, making it impervious to weapons and water, and preserving its youthful appearance forever.

Even without channeling internal energy or imbuing it with true essence, it's as if one is wearing a soft armor, enhancing physical defense and making one difficult to harm with ordinary swords and blades!

In addition, it also has the function of automatically regulating body temperature to adapt to the environment.

In short, the benefits are countless!

As time passed, Lu Zuo's breathing became long and deep, containing a mysterious rhythm.

With each breath, with each rise and fall of his chest, the air in the entire bedchamber rippled slightly.

Her skin gradually developed a warm, lustrous sheen, initially resembling fine jade, and then gradually becoming transparent, as if a layer of ice crystals had adhered to her skin.

If anyone were to see this at this moment, they would be utterly astonished and horrified.

Without him...

Beneath Lu Zuo's transparent skin, his flesh, bones, and even some of his internal organs were clearly visible and completely exposed.

Buzz!

Suddenly, a mysterious, ethereal sound, seemingly vast and boundless yet also barely audible, resounded in my ears.

In that instant, Lu Zuo vaguely felt a kind of inexplicable, mysterious resonance between his body and the surrounding world.

Immediately, specks of azure light appeared in the air, converging towards Lu Zuo and swirling around him.

Immediately afterwards!

A burst of azure light particles shot out, silently penetrating Lu Zuo's skin and merging with every skin cell in his body.

Outside the hall, a large number of azure light particles surged in, passing through the windows, roof, and walls, and converging inside the hall to form beautiful blue light bands.

It was as if streams of blue light were flowing gently towards Lu Zuo, merging into his skin.

These azure light particles, light bands, and light rivers passed right before the eyes of the palace servants and soldiers, yet they were not noticed in the slightest.

As the light particles surged in and bound to the cells, waves of intensely burning pain spread throughout the body.

Lu Zuo felt as if every pore of his body was being pierced by Rong Momo with needles, the pain causing his entire body to tremble slightly, and large beads of sweat to drip from his forehead...

At the same time, there is a delicate, warm, and comforting feeling that seems to wash away all impurities, leaving an incomparably clear and pure sensation, which permeates the pain along with it.

One hour, two hours, three hours...

As the sun began to set and the last rays of sunlight began to fall, a tiny particle of light entered Lu Zuo's skin.

Boom!

A deafening roar, like a thunderstorm, exploded within his body!

In the next instant, Lu Zuo's skin visibly returned to normal from its transparent state.

Although the skin is still the same as before, with no obvious changes, if you pay close attention, you will notice a very faint, crystal-clear aura on the surface of the skin.

"call……."

"It's finally done..."

Lu Zuo opened his eyes, slowly exhaled a breath of fresh air, and stood up from the bed, sensing the changes after his breakthrough.

"My true essence is more solidified, my physical body is stronger, and my combat power has increased by at least 30% to 50%..."

"It seems... there's a subtle coolness constantly seeping into my skin?"

After thinking for a moment, he picked up the long sword of King Han An on the table, which was more symbolic than practical, and drew it from its sheath with a clang.

Then he reversed his arm and forcefully slashed across the back of his left hand!

A slight stinging sensation came over me; a shallow scratch appeared on the back of my hand, but it didn't penetrate the surface and didn't bleed...

Just now, Lu Zuo did not use his true essence, nor did he let his true essence adhere to his skin, yet the sword still failed to cut through!

"Just as she described, whether it's an innate physique or the Three Elements and Twenty-Four Truths, it's all about the sublimation and transformation of the body!"

"Evolving towards the extraordinary!"

"Um……"

"With such resilient skin, wouldn't it be troublesome if she got appendicitis later?"

After a moment of random thoughts, Lu Zuo sheathed his sword, walked to the window, glanced at the setting sun on the horizon, and thought to himself, "Although King Han An was a foolish ruler, he still had quite a few women in his harem."

"But the only one who knows martial arts is the Tide Demoness..."

"That's really bad!"

"Um?"

suddenly!

Lu Zuo felt his body hair stand on end, and a chill ran through his skin and his mind at the same time!

"There's an assassin!"

With a loud bang, just as the shouts of the Imperial Guards came from outside the palace, the carved wooden windows of the sleeping quarters shattered into pieces, turning into wood chips and scraps of paper that flew everywhere.

A slender, graceful woman with long, jade-like legs crashed through the wooden window and landed on the ground.

Her gaze swept across Lu Zuo and landed on him. Then, with a slight sway, the sharp hairpin in her hand was already pressed against his throat.

"Don't move!"

Lu Zuo looked down at the hairpin that was radiating a burning heat, then looked at the woman in front of him.

The woman wore a long crimson dress embroidered with gold fire patterns, and her hair, which fell to her waist, also shimmered with crimson light, giving the impression of a blazing, burning flame.

Her face was delicate, with soft lines, a small, exquisite nose, cherry-red lips, and eyes that were gentle and captivating, adding a touch of the gentle and ethereal beauty of the Jiangnan region to her overall demeanor.

The allure of fire, the ethereal grace of water.

Two completely different temperaments blend together to create a unique charm that stirs the heart and captivates the soul.

She was truly stunningly beautiful, with every feature a picture-perfect scene.

"Who is this young lady, and why have you taken me hostage?"

The woman smiled sweetly, turned to look into the distance, and said, "Hey, he calls himself 'I, the lonely one,' so it must be correct, right?"

Sizzle...

Suddenly, a series of soft sounds came from a window not far away, and a faint green light appeared in the center of the carved wooden window.

Subsequently, the radiance spread rapidly in a ring shape, and wherever it passed, wooden windows and walls quickly collapsed and scattered.

Before long, a hole taller than a person appeared.

"Hehehe..."

"That's right, that's right, he is Han Wang An."

As a hoarse, eerie laugh rang out, a withered, grayish-white hand with sharp nails slowly emerged from the edge of a hole in the wall.

In his palm, a ball of eerie green flame was leaping.

Immediately afterwards, a tall, thin, slightly hunched, white-haired old man slowly walked in through the hole.

"Your Majesty."

Once inside the hall, he grinned at Lu Zuo and said, "Please come with us."

Bang, clang, clatter...

At this moment, the sounds of clashing metal, punches and kicks, and screams of agony could be heard from outside the hall.

Lu Zuo looked up and saw a man as big as a small mountain, shirtless, charging through the Imperial Guards, knocking one guard after another away.

When the Imperial Guards wielded their swords, they only managed to scatter sparks and could not advance an inch!

With a loud bang!

In the blink of an eye, he had already rushed to the front of the palace, smashed open the palace door, stared at Lu Zuo with wide eyes, and was panting heavily.

This is……

Yan Ling Ji, Bai Du Wang, and Wu Shuang Gui?

The three were so distinctive that it was hard for Lu Zuo not to recognize them, especially Wushuang Gui's bright bald head.

"Your Majesty, let's go."

Yan Lingji pushed him away, but the sharp hairpin in her hand remained pressed tightly against his throat.

Oh……

How the tables have turned! Now it's my turn to be a hostage...

Lu Zuo chuckled inwardly, obediently walking towards the palace exit while thinking to himself:

"We can't reveal our martial arts skills right now, or people will definitely suspect our identity."

"Let's find an opportunity to strike once we're outside the palace..."