Joy of Life: Me, the Second Prince? Summon Yuan Tiangang!

"The fish has finally taken the bait." Emperor Qing's voice was soft, yet it clearly reached Fan Xian and the old eunuch Hong Sixiang, who had been standing by his side, in the deathly quiet courtyard.

got windy.

What was originally a cool early autumn breeze suddenly turned violent at this moment.

The ripples on the lake surface instantly turned into rolling waves, crashing against the rocks on the shore with a dull thud.

The dark clouds in the sky seemed to be drawn by some invisible force, gathering and pressing down towards Taiping Villa at a visible speed, as if the sky were collapsing.

"Boom—!"

A thunderclap exploded in the clouds, and a pale flash of lightning tore through the dim sky, instantly illuminating the scene outside the Taiping Villa.

The murderous intent, like a flood bursting its banks, surged in from all directions!

Outside the villa, the five thousand imperial guards and garrison cavalry, who had been on high alert and patrolling day and night, suddenly suffered a devastating blow.

On the official road leading from Kyoto to Taiping Villa, an army, like ghosts, tore through the rain and launched a fierce charge. These were no ordinary rebels, but the elite troops of Northern Qi who had accompanied the princess on her marriage to a foreign ruler!

After entering Kyoto, this army should have been closely monitored and placed in designated camps. However, at this moment, they somehow evaded all eyes and ears, even shedding their disguised civilian clothes to reveal the cold, bone-chilling heavy armor beneath.

"kill--!"

The deafening shouts of battle instantly shattered the tranquility surrounding Taiping Villa.

The soldiers of the Northern Qi imperial guard had a fervent and resolute glint in their eyes. They knew it was an assassination attempt with no chance of survival, but for the fate of Northern Qi and for that high and mighty young emperor, they had long since disregarded their own lives.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Imperial Guard's defensive line, dozens of ghostly figures emerged from the dense forest.

These people were dressed in various colors, some carrying long swords and others wielding unusual weapons, but without exception, they all exuded a powerful aura that made people's hearts tremble.

Those were disciples of the Sword Pavilion under Si Gu Jian, and high-ranking disciples of the Heavenly Dao Sect under Ku He!

Yun Zhilan walked at the forefront of the Sword Pavilion disciples. His eyes were as cold as iron. Even before the long sword in his hand was drawn, the sharp sword intent in his hand made the row of imperial guards blocking his way feel breathless, as if their throats were being held by an invisible blade.

On the other side, the disciples of Tianyi Sect seemed to blend into the wind and rain. Their movements were unpredictable, and every move they made carried the power of nature, seemingly gentle, yet capable of shattering the heart meridians of the Imperial Guard soldiers in an instant.

"Enemy attack! Form ranks! Protect His Majesty!"

The commander of the Imperial Guards roared madly, his eyes bloodshot.

Although the five thousand imperial guards were exhausted, at this moment, they still demonstrated the discipline of the most elite troops in Nanqing.

The shield bearers rushed forward, their spears forming a forest, attempting to block this sudden and frenzied counterattack.

However, when ordinary soldiers face top-tier masters of the ninth rank or even higher, their numerical advantage is greatly diminished.

Blood instantly stained the land outside Taiping Villa. Limbs and severed arms flew through the air, and the piercing screams and the clash of weapons intertwined to create a symphony as if from hell.

But all of this is just an appetizer.

What truly determines the fate of the world and the life and death of today are those two figures who walked slowly through the wind and rain, yet seemed to tread upon the souls of everyone.

To the east, a slender figure seemed to shrink to an inch, strolling leisurely.

In the blink of an eye, they had traversed a distance of a hundred feet.

He didn't bring an umbrella, but the wind and rain seemed to encounter an invisible barrier when they got within three feet of him, automatically sliding to both sides.

He was wearing a tattered linen shirt, barefoot, with a gaunt face and eyes that conveyed a sense of worldly compassion and indifference.

But with each step he took, the surrounding grass and trees swayed, as if the whole world was moving in rhythm with his breath.

Ku He, the Grand Master and National Preceptor of the Northern Qi Dynasty.

To the west, a soaring sword intent seemed poised to pierce through the oppressive dark clouds.

He was a short man with a somewhat ugly appearance.

He also didn't use an umbrella, letting the rain wash over his faded shirt.

He held no sword, yet he himself was the sharpest, most terrifying, and most unreasonable sword in the world. Wherever he went, he left deep, bottomless sword marks on the ground, and even the air itself whistled sharply as it was sliced ​​by his pure, extreme killing intent.

The city lord of Dongyi City, a grandmaster named Si Gu Jian.

The two grandmasters, one to the east and one to the west, stood like two insurmountable gods, ignoring the fierce fighting on the outside, and stepped straight into the gate of Taiping Villa.

The Imperial Guards tried to stop them, but before they could get close, they were either blasted away by the powerful true energy of heaven and earth surrounding Ku He, or directly shredded into blood mist by Si Gu Jian's invisible sword intent.

The Imperial Guards tried to stop them, but before they could get close, they were either blasted away by the powerful true energy of heaven and earth surrounding Ku He, or directly shredded into blood mist by Si Gu Jian's invisible sword intent.

Faced with absolute power, the resistance of mortals seems so laughable and pathetic.

Kuhe and Sigu Jian stopped about ten feet away from the lake.

The two exchanged a glance across the raging wind and rain.

Without verbal communication, at their level, a single glance is enough for them to understand each other's thoughts.

Everyone in the world knows that a Grandmaster is hidden in the Southern Qing Imperial Palace. It is precisely because of the existence of this mysterious Grandmaster that Southern Qing has remained as stable as Mount Tai for the past few decades, preventing Northern Qi and Dongyi City from making any rash moves.

Based on their years of probing, intelligence gathering, and countless secret deductions, they came to a common conclusion: the Grandmaster who was hiding in the deep palace and protecting Emperor Qing was none other than the old eunuch who was always by Emperor Qing's side, seemingly old and incomplete—Hong Sixiang!

Today's situation is a doomed one.

The sword in Si Gu Jian is associated with killing and is best suited for attacking fortified positions.

His mission was to stall or even kill Hong Sixiang.

Ku He's true energy was deep, continuous, and inexhaustible, making it ideal for taking heads in chaotic situations. His mission was to bypass Hong Sixiang's defenses and capture the powerless Emperor of Nanqing!

"Let's do it!"

Si Gu Jian's hoarse and shrill voice suddenly rang out in the wind and rain, like the cry of a night owl.

Before he finished speaking, he had already transformed into a bolt of lightning that tore through space.

There was no action of drawing a sword, because he himself was the sword.

A terrifying sword intent, condensed to the extreme and pure to the extreme, carrying the obsession to destroy everything, instantly crossed a distance of ten zhang and pointed directly at Hong Sixiang, who was standing beside Emperor Qing!

This sword strike is the culmination of Si Gu Jian's lifelong cultivation; it is a deadly sword that ignores everything else, seeking only to kill with a single blow!

Before the sword energy even arrived, several sturdy weeping willows by the lake had already silently turned into a shower of wood chips.

At the same time, Kuhe also moved.

Unlike Si Gu Jian, who made a grand entrance, he soared into the sky like a roc spreading its wings.