Empress, please lay down your armor, for I will save the world with a single sword!

"Come here if you dare!"

The courtyard fell silent the moment those six words were spoken.

Maitreya stopped in place, looking at Wu Liang from a distance of several feet.

Wu Liang pressed his thumb against the hilt of the sword, concealing the blade with only half an inch showing. The jade-like sword light shone through the gap, illuminating his fingertips.

His clothes were stained with blood, and he was barely breathing.

But those eyes were remarkably calm, even carrying a hint of defiance.

Qiu Baichuan laughed in anger.

Just as he was about to step forward, Maitreya suddenly reached out an arm and stopped him.

"The cult leader?"

"Since Your Highness wishes for me to go there personally..."

Maitreya looked at Wu Liang, his smile deepening.

"I will grant your wish."

He was still standing several feet away when he uttered the last word.

The next moment, the night wind in the courtyard suddenly stopped.

The dust on the ground, the withered leaves in the corner, and the lantern swaying back and forth under the eaves all seemed to be pressed down by an invisible force, no longer moving an inch.

Maitreya took a step forward.

As the foot landed, a wisp of milky white vapor quietly emerged from the cracks in the blue bricks.

The aura spread rapidly along the cracks in the bricks, reaching Wu Liang's feet in the blink of an eye.

A white lotus slowly blooms.

The petals are crystal clear and spotless.

It looks holy and peaceful, making people feel close to it.

Wu Liang felt a chill run down his spine.

Danger!

He did not look down at the lotus flower; his gaze remained fixed on Maitreya.

The person before him moved with unhurried steps, his wide gray robe barely fluttering. Yet, as he continued forward, the power of heaven and earth within the courtyard was gradually stirred.

The wall on the left.

The side room on the right.

The eaves above.

The night behind me.

A faint, milky-white aura appeared from all directions.

The auras were intertwined, like a large net slowly closing in.

Wu Liang's eyes narrowed slightly.

Pointing to the mystery!

This guy is also a First-Rank Finger Profound cultivator!

Three!

I killed one of them last night, and now there are still three left!

To obtain the secret of the Life and Death Talisman, this group of people are really willing to go to great lengths!

Yan Jingshuang also sensed the change in the surrounding energy, and the longsword in her hand emitted a soft hum.

She took half a step forward and stood beside Wu Liang, her voice very low.

"Three finger-pointing points."

"There are also dozens of experts, and I think there are at least ten First-Rank Vajra experts alone."

"If you have a chance later, you can go first."

Wu Liang turned to look at her.

"You just saved me last night, and now you want to save me again?"

Yan Jingshuang sensed the teasing in his words, her ears burned slightly, but she did not loosen her grip on the sword.

"I'm talking to you about something important!"

"What I'm saying is indeed important."

Wu Liang looked at Maitreya again, and Concealed Edge slid out an inch from its scabbard.

"Besides, it's not certain who will save whom."

Maitreya heard their whispers clearly, and his doubts lessened somewhat.

If Wu Liang was truly confident of escaping, why would he need to tell who would leave first?

The composure shown at this moment is mostly just a facade.

That's right, this kid is definitely putting on an act because he has a beautiful woman by his side.

The fact that he managed to escape from Qiu Baichuan and even kill Qi Wanhe suggests that this carefree prince must have some trump cards up his sleeve.

But after suffering such severe injuries last night and being tormented by the love poison all night, even if the poison is cured, it is impossible to recover completely in a short period of time.

Thinking of this, Maitreya reached out his right hand from his sleeve.

Slightly spread, fair and slender fingers.

The white lotus at Wu Liang's feet then bloomed!

boom!

A milky white palm-shaped energy surged skyward!

Wu Liang was prepared. He grabbed Yan Jingshuang's waist and used the "Soaring Dragon Step" to move several feet to the side.

The two had just left when the blue bricks beneath their feet shattered into pieces.

Gravel and dirt shot straight up to the eaves!

Maitreya's figure also disappeared at the same moment.

Wu Liangcai had just steadied himself when a hand reached out from his side.

The palm strike was gentle and the speed wasn't particularly fast, yet it gave him a strange feeling that he couldn't dodge it.

The hand so close to my eyes seemed to be just a phantom.

The real killer move might be hidden above your head, or it might come from behind you, or it might even still be buried in the white lotus that hasn't completely dissipated at your feet.

Wu Liang didn't have time to think. He pushed Yan Jingshuang behind him with his left hand and struck out with his right palm!

Golden energy surged out from his arm.

Two palms collide head-on!

boom!

A dull, loud noise shook the courtyard.

Two streams of energy, one milky white and the other golden, violently compressed between the two, causing cracks in the ground to spread wildly in all directions.

Wu Liang's robes billowed backward as his feet slid several feet along the ground.

Maitreya also stopped.

He glanced down at his palm, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

The power of that palm strike...

He doesn't look like someone who is seriously injured and dying.

Wu Liang steadied himself and slowly closed his five fingers.

That hard clash just now allowed him to gauge his opponent's strength to some extent.

Maitreya's true energy was even more profound than that of Qiu Baichuan and Sang Jiushu.

After the milky white true energy entered the meridians, it immediately split into dozens of thin streams, which flowed to the five internal organs and the vital acupoints throughout the body.

If it weren't for the fact that the Longevity True Qi is vigorous and continuous, anyone who had just entered the Finger Profound realm would have suffered a great loss from just this one palm strike.

Wu Liang grew increasingly wary, but smiled outwardly.

"this one?"

"I thought you must have some real ability to pull off such a grand show."

Qiu Baichuan was furious.

"Master, send your men to arrest him!"

Maitreya did not respond.

He stared at Wu Liang for a moment, then slowly raised his hand from his sleeve again.

Just then, a loud shout suddenly came from the long street outside the courtyard.

"Who is it?"

"stop!"

Immediately following was the sound of swords being drawn.

The officer in charge of patrolling Changningfang tonight is Zhou Dayong, the head of the New Army.

As he and his fifty new soldiers turned the corner, they saw a large group of strangers gathered in the alley ahead.

Some of the people in the group were dressed as ordinary people, some were disguised as merchants or porters, and a few were wearing tattered cotton robes, looking like refugees who had fled from outside the city.

But they stood there so methodically.

They appear to be scattered along both sides of the long street, but in fact they occupy the entrances to alleys and under the eaves of houses.

Several of them had bulging robes at their waists, clearly concealing weapons.

Having experienced the Battle of Gaotang and undergone a full month of training in the new army, Zhou Dayong was no longer the young soldier who had fought desperately with only a surge of courage.

He raised his right fist.

The fifty new soldiers behind him immediately stopped.

"alert!"

Whoosh!

The spears were simultaneously lowered to the ground.

Push the shield to the front of the team.

The fifty men quickly transformed from a marching column into a small battle formation.

Zhou Dayong stared at the stranger at the front.

"Martial law will be in effect at night; everyone will be subject to questioning."

"State your identity!"

The stranger did not answer.

He slowly slipped his hand inside his cotton robe.

Zhou Dayong suddenly drew his sword.

"Fire the signal arrow!"

At that moment, the stranger also drew his short knife and lunged at the nearest new soldier.

The others on both sides of the street suddenly jumped up!

The flashes of blades and the shadows of swords appeared simultaneously.

The once quiet street was suddenly filled with shouts of battle.

Zhou Dayong swung his knife to block the oncoming short blade, took half a step back, and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Thief!"

"Form ranks!"

"Front row, shields up! Back row, guns up!"

The fifty new soldiers quickly gathered together.

The shields are connected to each other.

Long spears emerged from the gaps.

The two experts who charged first, relying on their martial arts skills, did not take these young soldiers seriously at all.

One of them leaped up, trying to rush over the shield formation.

Three spears thrust upwards simultaneously.

The man turned in mid-air, kicking away the gun barrel with his toes.

Before he could even land, Zhou Dayong had already pounced on him and slashed at his ribs with his knife.

The man raised his sword to parry.

clang!

The long knife in Zhou Dayong's hand was shaken and flew outwards.

The immense force traveled through the hilt of the sword into his arm, causing his hand to split open instantly.

Rank 3!

He must be at least a third-rank expert!

Zhou Dayong was horrified, but he shouted sharply, "Fire the signal arrows!"

At the rear of the column, a new soldier finally lit the fuse.

call out--

……

……