Chapter 381 Zhao Duan: Princess Lu, We Meet Again (Two in One)
How many back-up plans did Prince Jing lay in order to set up this killing spree?
Before the actual action was taken, no one knew about it except this vassal king.
Inside the giant head of the Earth God statue, the sharpshooter in nightgown had his feet like steel nails, firmly fixed on the dusty rocky ground.
His body was like a dead object, and he held in his hand the strangely shaped "talisman" bow and arrow, which was obviously not an ordinary object, without moving at all.
Only with each breath did the tip of the arrow, which was filled with power, shake slightly.
This sharpshooter who worked for Prince Jing's Mansion had no name and was not found in the official household registration list.
He was wearing black clothes and a mask. He climbed the mountain last night and waited in this cave until dawn, lying in wait. Finally, the time to take action came at this moment.
The sharpshooter wore a telescope tube tied with a leather belt on his exposed eye sockets. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his eyes were fixed on a man named Zhao on the second floor of a distant ship.
Just now, he wanted to take action for a moment, but unfortunately, he was blocked by Princess Huai'an, so he had to hold back.
But Zhao Duan seemed to have had an argument with the princess. The two of them were struggling with each other, frequently staggering and overlapping.
The sharpshooter kept adjusting his direction.
finally.
The two people on the boat separated and looked at each other face to face. Zhao Duan in the telescope even took a step back.
Good opportunity!
Now is the time!
"Buzz!"
In the empty cave, the bowstring vibrated, the dust on the ground rolled like waves, and the magic power accumulated in the bow was poured into the black arrow.
Surrounded by a mysterious glow.
An arrow flew out of the mouth of the earth statue, turned into a ray of golden light, and flew towards the ship on the lake at an extremely terrifying speed!
The speed is so fast that it makes a sharp explosion sound!
"Did it hurt you?"
On the boat, Xu Junling, who was struggling violently, was stunned and confused when he heard Zhao Duan say this with a smile.
She just thought that Zhao Duan was so cruel that he really wanted to use her as a human shield, although she knew in her heart that this was the greatest use of her being coerced into this place.
But I still can't help feeling panic and fear, mixed with resentment.
But after several pulls, the other party let go of her hand and even took two steps back. This strange behavior made her so angry that she could not express it.
"Don't be such a good person!"
Xu Junling's hair was disheveled and stuck to her wet face. He was about to scold her coldly when he suddenly heard a sonic boom in his ear.
Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught a glimpse of golden light passing across the lake in the direction of the earth statue.
"Be careful..." He shouted these two words almost subconsciously, but as soon as the word "be careful" was uttered, the armor-piercing arrow carrying terrifying kinetic energy was already in front of him.
The arrow filled with magic power was powerful enough to instantly tear apart a head without the protection of armor, and could even penetrate the protective qi of the Divine Chapter Realm.
Duan Shuiliu? Qi Yuchun?
They were just pawns to lure away the guards around him. The real fatal blow had been lying in ambush for a long time.
Xu Junling had almost imagined the scene of Zhao Duan's head exploding like a watermelon in front of her in the next second.
However……
I don’t know if it was a coincidence of fate or a predetermined dodge.
As the arrow flew across the lake, Zhao Duan, who was looking at her with a smile, tilted his head and lowered one ear as if to hear her words clearly, but he took a subtly imperceptible step back.
Then, the arrow, surrounded by golden electric light and with almost the power of a cannonball, brushed past Zhao Duan's head and passed through the air between the two of them.
The arrow instantly pierced into the cabin of the ship, and the terrifying kinetic energy destroyed the entire second-floor cabin into pieces!
Sawdust flying everywhere!
The maid Lu Shui, who wanted to hide in the cabin, witnessed this scene in horror. Her legs went weak and she collapsed to the ground. Her hands and feet were cold and she almost fainted.
Missed the shot?!
The moment this thought arose in Xu Junling's mind, she saw Zhao Duan raise his arm and point in the direction of the earth god statue without any warning.
At this moment, he combined the water-shooting technique he learned from Hai Gongfeng with the power-accumulating technique he learned from Ma Yan, supplemented by the true meaning of the swordsmanship he learned from Emperor Taizu in the Martial God Diagram.
Mixed as one.
Zhao Duan uttered softly, "Kai Tian."
The Golden Crow Flying Knife that had been circling around him since just now suddenly gained speed, striking out twisted flames in the air.
With a speed no less than that of an arrow, it followed the "trajectory" across the lake, crossed hundreds of meters, and accurately pierced into the wide-open mouth of the Earth Temple!
"puff!"
Inside the cave, the sharpshooter, wearing a nightgown with only his eyes exposed, took off his telescope in a daze, lowered his head slightly, and touched his neck with his hand. His fingertips were covered in blood.
A thin line slowly appeared on his neck, and then his body fell down, and his head rolled several steps away.
The blood-stained flying knife jumped for joy, patrolled the cave once, and then returned the same way.
Among the Taoist immortals' methods, there is the ability to fly a sword a thousand miles to take a person's head. Zhao Duan is no match for the immortals. As he drew his sword, he murmured the last line of the Tang Dynasty poem "Quatrain" by Lü Zu:
"Draw your sword and fly a thousand miles across the sky. Leave me at the first watch and I'll be back at the second."
He smiled brightly, and his smile made Xu Junling dizzy.
"Princess, how about this knife?"
…
…
On a winding path in the mountains.
The Red Tide Sword in the hands of the young Taoist priest sitting in the black carriage was also shaking, as if it was about to fly out in the next moment.
Standing opposite the carriage, ten feet away, Nagarjuna Bodhisattva had already pulled out the Zen stick beside him. On the huge Buddhist beads on his chest, the Buddha heads had expressions of anger or joy.
The two men faced each other from a distance, each taking a defensive stance.
Generals who are good at the art of war often understand the principle of using defense as an attack. Any formation is in the most perfect and impeccable state when it is defensive. Once it moves, it will be full of loopholes.
For masters of similar strength, being the first to reveal a flaw is very likely to determine the outcome of a fight.
Suddenly, several streams of air rose from the smoke-shrouded lake in the distance, breaking the atmosphere of confrontation between the two.
The young Taoist priest frowned, turned his head and looked into the distance, saying:
"One, two, three, four, five... Five worldly realms, what a grand event. Two of them are familiar. Is it Duan Shuiliu who came out of Qingshan? The other one is the movement of the royal family's martial god inheritance. Could it be Hai Chunlin? Who else?"
The tall, white-faced, beardless Nagarjuna was not distracted by this deliberate flaw and said calmly:
"On my way here, I met Qi Yuchun."
"The one from the Qi family who used a gun?" The young Taoist priest recalled and said suddenly:
"The Kuangfu Society is here too. Tsk tsk, it's not enough that Shenlong Temple and Qingshan are here, even the remnants of the failed coup are here to join in the fun. I didn't check the almanac before going out today.
"There are so many of us, and you still think it's not enough? You insist on having me go? Is this what they call a lion or a tiger fighting a rabbit, even using all their strength?"
Bodhisattva Nagarjuna smiled and said:
"I just came here to vent my anger on behalf of my disciple, but I don't know what happened in front."
"Hypocrisy." Undisguised contempt appeared on the ferocious face of the young Taoist priest.
"We cultivators transcend the mundane world. Ever since Xuanyin took charge of Shenlong Temple, you bald asses have become increasingly worldly-minded, reeking of disgust. It was fine in the past you coveted the luxuries of the believers, but now you're stirring up the temple's internal strife. Is this the end of your enlightenment, the Buddha?"
Nagarjuna did not get angry and said calmly:
"The Tianshi Mansion is pure and simple, minding its own business. Trying to escape the Three Realms, in my opinion, is a grave mistake. Life in this world is bound to struggle with others. Hiding in the mountains is a way to escape the world? Once the word 'escape' is in your mind, you can't escape it for the rest of your life."
The little Taoist priest scolded:
"Stop arguing with me. Isn't this all about your so-called merger with the Western Regions Buddhist sect? Fighting over who will inherit the Taoist tradition? What's the difference between this and fighting for imperial power? I'm putting this aside. I can't control what happens over there, but today, don't even think about going there."
Upon hearing this, Nagarjuna Bodhisattva simply sat cross-legged in the forest covered with fallen leaves and said with a smile:
"In that case, you and I will just wait here for the result."
The little Taoist priest was startled, and his expression suddenly changed:
"Did Prince Jing arrange any other trump cards?"
As he spoke, the magical white horse that was pulling the horse suddenly began to stomp the ground restlessly, making uneasy and agitated sounds in a certain direction.
The little celestial master's face darkened, but he heard Nagarjuna Bodhisattva sitting in front of him say slowly:
"If you want to leave, it depends on whether I agree or not."
…
…
"How about this knife?"
The lake was shrouded in smoke, and a blood-stained flying knife skimmed across the surface of the lake, tearing a thin line on the water surface along the way.
Zhao Duan raised his hand to catch the flying knife. Beneath his calm appearance, his tense muscles relaxed.
Of course, he would not drag Xu Junling into this unless it was absolutely necessary.
If anything happens to this princess, it will be difficult to win her over to Prince Huai'an.
Therefore, he was certain that the assassin in the dark would not dare to advance rashly, so he used the perception of the middle-grade divine chapter to reversely lock his position.
And lure the other party into taking action, while determining the specific location and beheading them.
This thrilling scene on the ship also attracted the attention of the other two battlefields.
Qi Yuchun, who was dressed as a gangster, was filled with astonishment. He could not believe that the sudden sneak attack just now was perfectly avoided by the thief Zhao.
In such a hurry, he had no time to think about how to do it. He only knew that Prince Jing's ambush had failed, and the chances of success of this assassination had greatly decreased.
Thinking that he might return empty-handed, Qi Yuchun quietly made a decision. The Qi in his Dantian suddenly reversed, and the surging Qi squeezed out and took another step forward.
He swung the spear named "Broken" in his hand with great force and power, smashing Lang Eighteen into the lake, splashing a large amount of water.
The water splashes condensed into a high wall. Ji Yue floated to the surface again, clasped his hands together, and whispered the word "prisoner".
The rolling lake water rose up and instantly condensed into a cage, sealing Qi Yuchun inside.
Qi Yuchun snorted coldly, and used his family's Overlord Spear Technique to break the cage with one shot, but the water columns healed in an instant.
Elsewhere, when Eunuch Hai sensed the sneak attack from the arrow, he divided his attention and was seized by Duan Shuiliu, who delivered a heavy punch to the Frost Sword that was placed in front of him.
The long sword that ranked in the top 100 on the Jianghu Weapon List suddenly bent like a bow. Eunuch Hai flew back under the force, and when he saw Zhao Duan counterattack with a sword, his eyes lit up slightly and he secretly praised.
But when he caught a glimpse of Qi Yuchun, furious like a lion, ready to exchange injury for injury and break through to kill him, he felt a chill in his heart, and when he looked at Duan Shuiliu again, there was a hint of anxiety in his eyes.
With a sweep of the sword in his hand, thousands of snowdrifts blew up on the surface of the lake.
Eunuch Hai took one step forward after another, his gray hair turned black, and his momentum seemed to be rising.
Dayou also learned from Qi Yuchun, reversing his Qi and gaining a surge of power.
Duan Shuiliu's eyelids twitched wildly, and he immediately retracted his fist and switched to defense.
Although he agreed to help Prince Jing for some reasons, he had no intention of risking his life.
If this old eunuch was really pushed into a corner, Duan Shuiliu thought to himself that even if he didn't die, he would be seriously injured. So what was the point?
Eunuch Hai smiled casually, seeing Duan Shuiliu's weakness of not daring to exchange injuries, and approached him, ready to cut the Gordian knot, repel him, and return to rescue the ship.
However, at this moment, Eunuch Hai suddenly seemed to sense something and his expression suddenly changed.
Not only him, but also Duan Shuiliu and Qi Yuchun, all showed surprised expressions and looked at the building ship in the middle of the lake.
Zhao Duan had just made a strong effort to strike with his sword, and just when his nerves relaxed, he suddenly saw strange ripples spreading on the bottom of the lake below the ship.
It was a huge, archetypal magic circle, hidden here in some unknown way. It slowly emerged at this moment, covering the entire ship.
The mottled light spots in the magic circle rose up and suddenly condensed into a female figure.
She was dressed in green and had a veil on her face, so her features could not be seen.
As soon as he appeared, he noticed the gazes of powerful people around him.
Princess Lu Yan'er of Prince Jing moved without hesitation and appeared in the broken cabin in a flash.
The soft right hand grabbed Zhao Duan's shoulder, and the fingers pierced into it, pulling Zhao Duan down forcibly. Together with her, they fell into the magic circle and disappeared!
As the two left, the strange circular magic circle on the lake also dimmed and disappeared.
Only Xu Junling, the maid and others were left standing on the deck in a daze.
Teleport! ?
And the killer?
"Oh no!" Eunuch Hai, Ji Yue, Lang Shiba and others all looked terribly pale.
…
…
pain!
It hurts!
Zhao Duan closed his eyes tightly, feeling as if his whole body was restrained by some invisible force and he could not move.
Only the sharp pain came from his shoulder, and he knew that it was the sorceress who suddenly appeared and pierced his shoulder with her fingers.
Although his mind was shaken, he was not too panicked.
In his expectation, if Prince Jing really wanted to take action, it would not be surprising no matter how big the scene was.
If the assassination at Hu Ting fails, it means that Prince Jing will be at a disadvantage in this struggle, which may very likely lead to Prince Huai'an's defection.
He was just wondering who this suddenly appearing sorceress was and where that strange magic circle would take him.
About ten heartbeats later.
Zhao Duan felt that the restraining force suddenly loosened, and he was finally able to open his eyes. He saw himself appearing out of thin air above a mountain forest, and then falling into the forest!
"Bang!"
As his body hit the ground, he rolled down with the strength of a warrior, and the flying knife in his sleeve suddenly flew into the sky.
However, it was easily caught by Lu Yan'er. Princess Lu, who was wearing a green long skirt and holding up her veil, glanced at the flying knife struggling in her palm, sneered, chanted an incantation, and the golden light of the flying knife immediately dissipated and she threw it to the ground.
Looking at Zhao Duan who was half-kneeling on the ground, steadying his body and looking up at her, Princess Lu grabbed a sword in her hand.
She pressed down with her sword, and Zhao Duan felt his body sink. The shadow of the six-talisman armor around him dissipated, and all his strength seemed to be "sealed" and suppressed.
He was lifted up by the sword energy, flew several feet into the air, and then fell heavily to the ground with his head raised, letting out a muffled groan.
Fortunately, the ground was covered with old fallen leaves, and when it fell, the surrounding yellow leaves splashed like water.
Zhao Duan was lying on the ground, gasping for breath, with blood oozing from his shoulder. He could clearly see that he was surrounded by a desolate mountain forest that was obviously far away from human habitation.
There were only bare trees all around, densely packed like spears piercing the sky.
The woman in the green dress floated down from the air, holding a long sword. The veil on her face shook slightly and lifted up, revealing a silver and ancient mask covering her face.
Visor?
Zhao Duan's brain buzzed, and countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. Seeing the woman stabbing at his chest with a sword, Zhao Duan suddenly blurted out the other person's name:
"Lu Yan'er!? You are the Princess of Jing!"
The long sword suddenly stopped, and Princess Lu's gentle and beautiful eyes narrowed into a thin line.
…
…
In Huting City.
In a certain mansion, the atmosphere was lonely and solemn.
There is a chair under the eaves.
Prince Jing Xu Wen, with a noble and elegant demeanor and a peace and safety plaque in his hand, sat in a chair, quietly gazing towards the direction of Yanshuo Lake.
It’s just because the distance is too far, even if the strong men in the world realm fight each other, the people in the city still cannot sense it.
"Father," Xu Jinglong suddenly walked over slowly and asked softly:
"Mrs. Lu went out?"
As his stepmother, Lu Yan'er was called "Auntie" by him instead of "Queen Mother".
Sitting on the recliner, Prince Jing had a calm expression, as if he was watching a play under the stage, and he said "hmm" softly.
Xu Jinglong stood aside. Seeing that there was no one around, he glanced at his father cautiously and then asked tentatively:
"Where did Aunt Lu go?"
As the crown prince, Xu Jinglong knew many things about the palace, such as the secret agents in Prince Jing's palace, and he could have intervened long ago.
But there are still some secrets that he vaguely knows but does not know the details.
For example, how much resources did the entire palace have, and how did his father persuade Duan Shuiliu to take action... these were all mysteries to him.
Including this princess.
Xu Jinglong didn't know the specific relationship between his father and Lu Yan'er, but he knew that Lu Yan'er was definitely not an ordinary person and seemed to be one of the masters in the palace.
Prince Jing opened his eyes, turned his head and glanced at his son who was standing respectfully beside him. He was silent for a moment and then smiled.
"Well, it's okay to tell you. You were instrumental in testing Zhao Duan on the river this time, so I should let you know. That's right, your concubine Lu is a Jianghu sorcerer, a master of the worldly realm. This time she went to Yansuo Lake to personally kill the villain surnamed Zhao."
Xu Jinglong pretended to be surprised:
"Is my aunt such a master? I have never heard of such a powerful person in the martial arts world."
Prince Jing said calmly:
"The Jianghu is a deep place. How can the list on the so-called Martial Arts Golden List be complete? Many masters are hiding underwater, unknown to the public.
Oh, you don't need to delve into her specific origins. Just know that she is a descendant of Pei Niannu, the foremost female sorcerer in the martial arts world who was once as famous as our Great Yu Dynasty's Emperor Taizu six hundred years ago."
"Descendants of Pei Niannu?"
Xu Jinglong was genuinely surprised. "As far as I know, that legendary sorcerer in history didn't seem to have any offspring."
Prince Jing glared at him unhappily:
"Who said it must be Pei Niannu's child? Doesn't Pei Niannu have any brothers or sisters?"
Xu Jinglong suddenly realized:
"So, Aunt Lu is a descendant of the Pei family?"
He didn't delve into the difference in surnames. Either the woman changed her surname after getting married, which made her a descendant. Of course, it was more likely that she changed her surname to avoid exposing her background.
unimportant.
Prince Jing nodded slightly and said calmly:
"Lu Yan'er is his descendant, and the inheritance she cultivates is also left by Pei Niannu. Her family has searched for the mantle left behind by Pei Niannu after his death for generations, but they have never found it. We only know that the final clue after his death is related to our Xu royal family. Therefore, in exchange for helping her find the inheritance, I will allow her to marry into the royal palace and protect my safety."
Xu Jinglong asked curiously:
"What's so special about Pei Niannu's inheritance that it has caused generations of people to search for it so painstakingly?"
Prince Jing was in a good mood and made an exception to explain:
"This has to do with the legends passed down through her family. It's said that Pei Niannu was a brilliant and talented man in his time, once reaching the Celestial Realm. Due to the unique techniques he cultivated, he even touched upon the subtlety of the Human Immortal realm. He once ventured into the Western Regions, slaughtered his way back and forth, and held a considerable grudge against the Buddhist sect..."
Haha, this is all too long ago. It is said that Pei Niannu once snatched back a Buddhist artifact from the ancestral temple of Buddhism in the Western Regions and tinkered with a method to achieve immortality even after the death of the body.
Therefore, her descendants always believed that the sorceress was not dead, but still alive."
Xu Jinglong was shocked:
"How could such a method exist? Lifespan is a rule of heaven. Heavenly Masters and Dharma Kings throughout history have never been able to achieve immortality. How could a powerful female sorcerer achieve this?"
Prince Jing sneered:
"That's exactly what happened. But Lu Yan'er just insisted on believing it, so I let her be. However, after I sent someone to investigate, I learned something interesting: this lineage of sorcerers practiced rituals and placed masks on their faces. Even after death, the masks would not disappear.
If one obtains a high-level mask, they can command sorcerers who cultivate low-level masks, and the latter will have no choice but to resist, but this is a taste of evil."
Xu Jinglong's eyes lit up:
"If that's the case, if we get the mask left by Pei Niannu, wouldn't we be able to completely control Madam Lu?"
Prince Jing sighed:
"It's a pity. He's from the ancient world six hundred years ago. How can he be easily found?"
Waving his hand, he ended the topic, looked towards the Yansuo Lake, and said softly:
"Go and find out. It's almost over by now. Humph, he's just a lackey of the emperor. Today I'll teach him that I will kill him like a butcher."
…
In the woods.
"Lu Yan'er!? You are the Princess of Jing!"
After Zhao Duan uttered these words, he saw the blue-clothed princess calmly take off her veil, revealing a silver mask covering half of her face, her eyes cold:
"How did you recognize me?"
Lu Yan'er was surprised and curious.
So I don't mind wasting a little time to satisfy my curiosity.
Anyway, she had been teleported very far away and had no coordinates. Even if Eunuch Hai and others came to look for her immediately, they would not be able to find her here in a short time.
With her cultivation level, she is confident enough to control Zhao Duan's life and death.
Zhao Duan was silent for a moment, then suddenly said in a strange tone, "It really is you."
The reason why he recognized the other person was that when he saw this mysterious sorcerer just now, the sense of familiarity came to his mind again, which made him immediately think of the princess who came to the Humble Administrator's Garden.
But what really surprised him was the silver mask on the other person's face.
Thinking of a certain possibility, Zhao Duan's expression became more and more strange, and he smiled and said:
"Princess Lu, we meet again."
(End of this chapter)
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