My strength increases by one percent every day; I can destroy stars with my bare hands.

In a small courtyard in the county town, Prince Kang and his entourage temporarily settled down.

"My sister doesn't need to be married off; let's leave!"

Princess Zhaoyang was relieved to be spared the journey to the grasslands for a political marriage, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief, no longer needing to desperately try to snatch her away.

"We must return as soon as possible and erase all traces to prevent the internal security forces from tracing our tracks back to us."

The Imperial Guard was the most mysterious force under the emperor's command, skilled in tracking and investigating cases.

If the internal security forces find out they were involved in kidnapping, they will be in big trouble.

King Kang looked at the woman in black robes and asked for her opinion.

"You guys go ahead! I'm staying."

Upon hearing the woman's words, King Kang looked anxious and blurted out, "Mother..."

Before he could finish speaking, King Kang immediately stopped.

"I'm worried about leaving you here alone, and you can't stay away forever. Why don't you come back with me?"

The woman's status was special, and she could not stay away from home for long, which greatly worried King Kang.

"Don't worry about me, I have my own way of handling it."

The woman's mind was made up, and King Kang could no longer persuade her.

"There's no time to lose, you should leave now!"

Everyone knew the situation was urgent, so they quickly left the city, leaving the woman behind alone.

After dressing up, the woman quietly approached the place where Princess Zhaoyang was staying.

In the dead of night, the woman moved like a ghost, silently sneaking into the mansion.

"Bang!"

Suddenly, a palm strike came towards where she was hiding.

"not good!"

The woman felt a deadly threat, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

She tried to dodge quickly, but the palm strike was inescapable, completely blocking all her escape routes.

Faced with this palm strike, the woman was certain to die.

"General Li, I am the birth mother of Zhaoyang, please do not lay a hand on me."

In that split second between life and death, Consort De dared not hide any longer and hurriedly revealed her figure and face, pleading loudly for mercy.

"Um!"

Li Xuancang looked astonished, then struck back with a palm, destroying the palm energy in front.

"Huff, huff..."

With the crisis over, Consort De gasped for breath, her chest heaving, still shaken.

"Come with me."

Li Xuancang had never met Consort De, but judging from her appearance, she did indeed resemble Princess Zhaoyang somewhat.

He was not careless and took Consort De to Princess Zhaoyang's location to have Princess Zhaoyang confirm it.

"That's terrifying! How did he cultivate?"

Only by facing Li Xuancang directly can one truly appreciate his power.

Consort De was already in the late stage of the Qi Refining Realm, but she couldn't muster the slightest desire to resist Li Xuancang.

"Princess, General Li has arrived."

When Li Xuancang arrived, Chunyan hurriedly came to report.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yang's face lit up with joy, and she hurriedly went out to greet him.

Upon seeing Li Xuancang, Zhaoyang was overjoyed, but when her gaze fell upon Consort De behind Li Xuancang, her eyes were filled with disbelief.

"Mother, what brings you here?"

Zhaoyang ran over and hugged Consort De tightly.

Seeing this, Li Xuancang no longer needed to ask any questions.

"Zhaoyang, my daughter..."

With tears in her eyes, Consort De carefully examined her daughter to see if she was injured.

"Princess, Your Majesty, I shall take my leave."

Li Xuancang was unsure why Consort De was there, so he took the initiative to leave, giving the mother and daughter some time.

"Thank you, General Li."

Consort De looked at Li Xuancang with gratitude.

"General Li, thank you."

Zhao Yang also bowed and thanked Li Xuancang.

Li Xuancang nodded slightly, then turned and left.

"Mother, let's go inside and talk."

Zhao Yang was overjoyed and pulled Consort De into the room.

After the conversation, Zhao Yang learned that Consort De and Prince Kang had been following the marriage procession, hoping to save her from her suffering.

"Mother, if Father finds out you've left the palace..."

Zhao Yang looked worried; it was a serious crime for concubines to leave the palace without permission.

Consort De gently stroked Zhaoyang, reassuring her, "Don't worry! The Emperor doesn't want to see me at all right now. I'm prepared, and no one will notice."

Consort De was not unprepared; she had enough to last for a while.

Hearing this, Zhao Yang finally felt relieved.

Li Xuancang was somewhat surprised as the mother and daughter were talking.

"It's quite interesting that a concubine actually has the cultivation level of the late stage of the Qi Refining Realm."

Li Xuancang was only slightly surprised and didn't pay too much attention to it.

News of the failed marriage alliance quickly spread from Liangzhou to other areas, causing quite a stir.

"The grassland people are wolves in sheep's clothing. Their marriage alliance is a pretense; their true intention is to assassinate Lord Li."

"The people of the grasslands are nothing but uncivilized barbarians, utterly devoid of integrity."

"If we had known the nature of the grassland people, we wouldn't have gone to all this trouble and almost put Lord Li in danger."

"..."

The people were indignant when they heard the news.

If Li Xuancang were killed by the grassland people, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Without anyone stopping them, the nomadic people could march their army deep into Liangzhou, occupy it, and keep an eye on other territories.

"How is that possible? Even five Transcendent Realm experts from the grasslands couldn't kill Li Xuancang. Is he really that terrifying?"

"It's simply unbelievable, impossible to believe."

"Is this true? If so, Li Xuancang is too terrifying."

"..."

Gangs, powerful families, and people from all walks of life were all shocked.

They received detailed information that the grassland people had laid a trap with two people at the mid-stage of the Profound Realm and three people at the early stage of the Profound Realm, but they were no match for Li Xuancang and were instead defeated and forced to flee.

This news seems exaggerated and like a rumor.

However, after repeated confirmations from various factions, they all received the same answer, leaving them no choice but to believe it.

For someone of Li Xuancang's age to break through to the Profound Realm is an extremely rare feat.

He also possesses such terrifying combat power; it's simply too frightening. Even "monster" cannot describe him.

In the imperial court, the ministers launched a new round of attacks.

The emperor's gaze slowly swept across the hall, finally landing on Grand Commandant Qin Huaiyuan.

"Grand Commandant, is this the marriage alliance you recommended?"

The emperor's voice wasn't loud, but everyone could hear his anger.

The emperor was indeed furious, and felt utterly humiliated.

He could already imagine how other dynasties and various forces would arrange the royal family.

Qin Huaiyuan, leaning on his cane, slowly stepped out of the line.

His face was ashen, not from fear, but from deep exhaustion and helplessness.

An aged voice echoed through the hall.

"Your Majesty, I have failed in my judgment of character and made an inappropriate recommendation. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

He offered no explanation.

Because he knew that all explanations would be futile.

He proposed the marriage alliance, and he also arranged the liaison work with the grasslands.

Now that the people of the grasslands have turned their backs on him and set up a trap on the wedding route, he cannot escape the responsibility.

The atmosphere in the main hall became subtle, and a moment of silence ensued.

The emperor's gaze was deep as he pondered how to deal with Qin Huaiyuan.