Chapter 431 An Incident

Just as Huo Lin was anxiously rushing into the delivery room, a dark figure silently appeared beside him.

“Your Majesty,” Yingyi’s voice was very low, “Lord Shen has successfully found and rescued the princess, but during the retreat, he was ambushed. The enemy was well-trained and coordinated, and is very likely an elite spy hidden by the Northern Di.”

"Lord Shen led his troops in a fierce battle and temporarily protected the princess, but the enemy has a large number of troops and urgently needs reinforcements!"

Huo Lin's pupils suddenly contracted, and a chilling killing intent burst forth from his body, as if even the warm air around him was frozen.

The Northern Barbarians have some nerve! They dared to make a move right under his nose, and they even chose to do it at the crucial moment when she was about to give birth.

Did they anticipate that he was currently overwhelmed and wanted to take advantage of the chaos to stir up trouble? Or did they want to use this bad news to provoke her in the delivery room, killing two birds with one stone?

He turned his head, his gaze fixed on the tightly closed palace door, the faint moans of pain coming from inside feeling like needles piercing his heart.

On one side is her beloved, struggling on the brink of death; on the other side are her close friends and relatives, hanging by a thread and in dire need of rescue.

The veins on his forehead bulged, and his eyes were bloodshot and red.

We must not panic!

If he loses his composure and becomes disoriented at this moment, he will have truly fallen into the enemy's trap.

Huo Lin bit his tongue hard, the sharp pain forcibly bringing back his almost out-of-control reason.

He forced himself to calm down, his brain working at an unprecedented speed, analyzing the situation.

Shen Yi and his Shadow Guards, already elite troops, were still trapped and needed reinforcements, demonstrating the formidable strength of their opponents.

Moreover, these were elite warriors carefully trained by the Northern Barbarians. For ordinary soldiers to go there would be like throwing eggs against rocks, only increasing casualties and making it impossible to break the siege.

He must personally lead his elite troops to swiftly suppress the crisis in order to resolve it as quickly as possible and prevent the news from leaking out.

Having made up his mind, Huo Lin took a deep breath and looked at Ying Yi.

"Immediately muster my personal guards and prepare fast horses. Shadow One, you stay here and guard this place to the death. If there is any movement in the delivery room, no matter how small, report it immediately on horseback. If anyone dares to approach or disturb it, whoever it is, kill them without mercy!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Yingyi accepted the order without hesitation, and then disappeared into the shadows in a flash.

Huo Lin took one last deep look at the delivery room, then turned around and strode out of the palace with firm steps and a murderous aura.

Upon seeing this, Wang Degui was terrified and scrambled after him.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, you can't go! There are no mercy to those swords there. What if... what if something happens to you? This old servant will never be able to atone for my sins, even if I die ten thousand times over. Besides, Her Majesty can't do without you here!"

Huo Lin didn't stop walking. He glanced at Wang Degui, and the murderous aura in his eyes silenced the seasoned chief steward instantly.

"You stay here and guard the palace gates. Don't let a single fly in!" With those words, Huo Lin's robes fluttered, and his figure disappeared into the night, leaving only a chilling wind behind.

The night was as dark as ink, and a biting wind swept through the empty streets.

Huo Lin took the lead, personally leading over a hundred of his most elite guards, heading straight for the west of the city.

Behind the mountain god temple, the battle had reached a fever pitch, and the air was thick with a nauseating stench of blood.

Shen Yi, with the remaining dozen or so Shadow Guards, barely managed to hold out in a narrow terrain. However, the number of Northern Di assassins far exceeded expectations, numbering as many as fifty or sixty. Each of them was fearless and their attacks came wave after wave, fierce and ruthless.

Shen Yi's shoulder was slashed open with a deep gash that exposed the bone, and blood soaked through his clothes, but he still wielded his sword like the wind, desperately protecting Mingzhu behind him.

Nearly half of the shadow guards he brought were lost, and most of the remaining men were also injured, making the situation extremely precarious.

Just at this critical moment, a shrill scream suddenly came from the flank, accompanied by the neighing of warhorses and the sounds of hacking and slashing.

Huo Lin led his army like a divine warrior descending from the heavens, tearing apart the Northern Di assassins' formation from the flank and rear.

"Kill them all! Leave no one alive!" Huo Lin roared, his voice echoing across the land.

He brandished his longsword and charged into the densest part of the enemy formation like a god of war descending to earth. The sword light was chilling and bone-piercing, and blood splattered wherever it passed.

The emperor's personal presence and his imperial charge greatly boosted morale, as if the remaining soldiers had been infused with new strength.

The newly joined guards were like tigers among sheep, their teamwork seamless and their killing efficiency remarkable, instantly turning the tide of the battle.

All the anxiety and anger that Huo Lin had been suppressing in his heart was now released onto the blade of his sword.

His moves were ruthless, precise, and extremely efficient. Every sword strike went straight for the vital points, showing no mercy and making him invincible.

Although the Northern Barbarian warriors were exceptionally brave, they were thrown into chaos and routed when attacked from both sides by the enraged emperor and the ferocious elite troops.

The battle ended very quickly, in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. The last assassin was beheaded by Huo Lin himself, and the battle was completely over.

Corpses lay strewn across the ravine, blood flowed like rivers, and the pungent stench of blood was almost suffocating.

Huo Lin stood in the pool of blood, sword in hand, his robes stained even darker by the blood of his enemies.

He slowly scanned the entire battlefield, confirming that there were no survivors, before ordering: "Clean it up! Investigate! I will dig three feet into the ground to find out everyone involved!"

Shen Yi, clutching his wound, stepped forward to report. His face was pale from blood loss, but his spirits were still relatively high.

"Your Majesty, the princess is unharmed. She was just a little frightened, but not injured."

Huo Lin glanced at the still-shaken Mingzhu, nodded slightly, and softened his tone: "Take the princess back to the palace, settle her in properly, and summon the imperial physician to treat her."

He said no more, and without even treating the scratches on his arm, he mounted his horse.

"Return to the palace!"

When he rushed back to Weiyang Palace, still reeking of blood, the sky was already beginning to lighten with the first light of dawn, and the long night was about to end.

An unusual silence still enveloped the delivery room, but the suffocating tension seemed to have dissipated somewhat with the first light of dawn.

Huo Lin staggered to the door, his heart pounding in his chest. Just as he was about to ask a question, a loud and powerful cry suddenly came from inside the delivery room.

"Wow--!"

The cry was like heavenly music, instantly shattering the last shred of tension in Huo Lin's body.

He froze, his legs went weak, and he knelt straight down on the ground. Fortunately, Wang Degui, who was nearby, reacted quickly and caught him.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, what's wrong? Don't frighten this old servant!" Wang Degui was terrified.

Huo Lin was panting heavily, his forehead covered in cold sweat. The wound on his arm was torn open again by the violent movement, and bright red blood quickly seeped into his dark clothes, but he seemed oblivious.

He looked up at the door, his eyes filled with the relief of surviving a disaster.