Chapter 218: Chapter 218: Encountering an Ambush
Fourth Prince Zhao Tian watched the two depart. The smile on his lips gradually faded, and a chilling glint flashed in his eyes.
He turned and returned to his sleeping quarters. With a clap of his hands, a servant in black robes swiftly appeared before him.
"Hei Yi, is everything ready for that matter?" Zhao Tian asked grimly.
"Your Highness, all preparations are complete. We are only waiting for your order."
"Good. You haven’t exposed my identity, have you?"
"Rest assured, Your Highness. I am the only one who knows of this matter. It’s impossible for anyone else to find out."
"Excellent. Inform our people to make their move immediately."
"Yes, Your Highness."
The black-robed servant quickly left the sleeping quarters.
’Ye Xuan, I gave you a chance, but you didn’t take it. Don’t blame me for what happens now. And Eighth Brother... I never thought you’d walk right into your own death today. It seems this was fated. Don’t blame your Fourth Brother for being ruthless. If you must blame someone, blame yourself for being in the spotlight too much lately, causing Father’s favor toward you to grow.’
A cold light shone in Zhao Tian’s eyes, and his lips curled into a sneer. ’Big Brother is also an idiot. I thought he was my rival, but he turned out to be so useless. After today, let’s see who can still compete with me for the position of Crown Prince.’
A sinister glint flashed in Zhao Tian’s eyes and was gone.
On a wide street, Ye Xuan sat in Zhao Wei’s carriage as the two chatted and laughed.
"Brother Ye, I heard you’ve been in the royal palace these past few days. Is that true?"
Zhao Wei asked, seemingly nonchalant.
Ye Xuan smiled faintly and glanced at Zhao Wei. "Brother Zhao, are you this much of a gossip? I know what you want to ask, but I must say, you shouldn’t be too hasty. Have you heard how the current Monarch ascended to the throne?"
Zhao Wei was shaken. He hadn’t expected Ye Xuan to bring this up and was suddenly lost in thought.
A faint smile played on Ye Xuan’s lips.
As they say, a prince who doesn’t want to be king is not a good prince.
If the Zhao Wei of the past hadn’t been very ambitious, he had certainly matured a great deal after everything he had experienced.
However, the current Monarch, Zhao Jing, was still strong and healthy. Zhao Wei, after all, was only seventeen. Being too impatient would not be a good thing.
For at least the next ten years, there was no possibility of Zhao Wei ascending the throne.
Just as he was pondering this, Ye Xuan’s expression suddenly changed, and he fiercely kicked Zhao Wei.
At the same time, the driver outside shouted angrily, "Who goes there!"
BOOM!
Following that, a terrifying pressure descended from the sky, smashing down hard on the carriage. With a tremendous crash, the roof of the carriage exploded into pieces, sending wood splinters flying everywhere. The force of the attack, undiminished, continued downward after shattering the roof, striking the spot where Ye Xuan and Zhao Wei had been sitting.
KRA-BOOM!
The entire carriage was blasted to smithereens by this single blow.
Amidst the blast of energy, Ye Xuan shot out from the debris. Zhao Wei, having been kicked out of the carriage by Ye Xuan just in time, was also unharmed.
"Your Highness, be careful!"
A group of Imperial Guards who had been secretly protecting the prince rushed out from around the carriage. Each held a blade or halberd, their expressions grim as they formed a circle around Zhao Wei and Ye Xuan.
SWISH SWISH SWISH!
At almost the same moment, many masked figures in black robes suddenly darted out from both sides of the street.
The captain of the Imperial Guard roared furiously, "Who are you people? How dare you try to assassinate a Prince in public! Surrender your weapons now and you might live. Otherwise, no matter how powerful your backing is, you will all die here!"
"Heheheh, is that so? Today, it’s not yet certain who will live and who will die," the leader of the black-robed men sneered sinisterly.
"Make it quick. Leave no one alive."
The low, murderous voice came from his mouth as the leading black-robed man charged forward first.
"Kill!"
The two sides clashed in an instant. Profound Qi of various colors surged through the air with a deafening roar.
SWOOSH!
The leader of the black-robed men sent an Imperial Guard flying with a palm strike, then shot toward Ye Xuan and Zhao Wei like a great roc spreading its wings.
"Your opponent is me!" the captain of the Imperial Guard yelled, swinging his longsword fiercely. A brilliant sword light flared from his blade, illuminating the world with unstoppable momentum.
The air around the sword light was displaced, forming a long trench as it shot toward the black-robed man.
The power of this strike was astonishing. The captain of the Imperial Guard was actually a Celestial Martial Master Third Layer expert.
"Heh, a parlor trick. Die!"
The leader of the black-robed men sneered. Without even looking at the incoming sword light, he casually slapped out with his palm. BOOM! The sword light shattered. The captain of the Imperial Guard flew backward, spitting blood, his eyes wide with horror as he gasped, "Tier Five Martial Sect."
"You have good eyes."
The black-robed man gave a savage grin, seemingly unsatisfied with the power of his palm strike. He didn’t pursue the captain, however, and continued his charge toward Ye Xuan and Zhao Wei.
CHH!
Just then, a long whip lashed out, swiftly coiling around the black-robed man’s wrist.
"Your Highness, go! This man is a Tier Five Martial Sect! No one here is his match! I’ll hold him off!" The carriage driver for Zhao Wei, his robes now shredded to reveal powerful muscles, was revealed to be an expert as well. His strength was at the peak of a Third Heaven Celestial Martial Artist.
"Brother Ye, this person is here to assassinate me! You go to the royal palace and get reinforcements! I’ll lead them away! The rest of you, hold on!"
When the assassination attempt first began, Zhao Wei’s face had shown panic. But after a short while, he quickly calmed down. Knowing that as a mere Martial Master Third Layer, he would be useless here, he gave a low shout to Ye Xuan and swiftly darted away.
He flew in a completely different direction from Ye Xuan, clearly aware that he was the target and intending to draw the enemy away.
"Courting death! You think you can stop me without even reaching the Sect Martial Realm? Get lost!"
The black-robed man roared. He jerked his right wrist, trying to snap the whip, while his left hand shot out in a punch. The terrifying force of the fist formed a streak of light in mid-air and slammed into his opponent.
"Giant Bear Martial Soul, Bear Armor Body!"
A phantom image of a giant bear appeared above the driver’s head and roared at the sky. Three star rings pulsed around the giant bear. As the Three-Stars Martial Soul was fully activated, a hazy light enveloped him, blocking the black-robed man’s attack.
Despite this, he still spat out a mouthful of blood.
The gap between a Tier Four Celestial Martial Artist and a Tier Five Martial Sect was too vast. He was wounded after a single blow.
"Golden Silk Serpent Whip, coil!" he roared through the searing pain. With a flick of his right hand, the golden whip tightened around the black-robed man’s right arm like a demonic serpent. He bellowed, "If you want to kill His Highness, you’ll have to get through me, Sima Xuanyu, first!"
"A mere Celestial Martial Artist, you’re looking for death!"
The black-robed man was truly enraged now. A black mist enveloped his body. Above his head, a ghoul-faced Martial Soul appeared. BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ. Three star rings floated on either side of the Martial Soul as black tentacles erupted from his body.
CRACKLE! POP!
The powerful energy caused the surrounding space to explode. The black-robed man struggled violently, breaking free from the Golden Silk Serpent Whip on his wrist. At the same time, he slammed a punch into Sima Xuanyu’s body.
This punch contained the black-robed man’s full power. Sima Xuanyu was immediately sent flying, grievously injured, and smashed a deep crater into the ground, his body covered in blood.
"Sha Jiu, you go kill that Ye Xuan. I’ll kill Zhao Wei. The rest of you, kill all the Imperial Guards."
The black-robed man shot out like a goshawk. Among the other black-robed men fighting the Imperial Guard, one immediately broke off from the battle and darted toward Ye Xuan.
In just a few moments, the squad of Imperial Guards protecting Zhao Wei had suffered heavy casualties. Only six or seven were left, struggling to hold on. Among the assassins, besides the leader who was a Tier Five Martial Sect, the rest were all Tier Four Celestial Martial Artists. Their strength was terrifying.
And that Sha Jiu was the strongest among them, an expert at the Celestial Martial Master Third Layer.
"Not good! Eighth Prince, Your Highness, be careful!"
The gravely injured captain of the Imperial Guard and Sima Xuanyu both cried out in alarm and fury.
"Heheh, go to hell!"
The leader of the black-robed men flew out, a savage grin on his face as he launched a palm strike at the Eighth Prince, Zhao Wei.
Zhao Wei was only at the Martial Master Third Layer. How could he possibly be a match for this black-robed man? Before the palm even arrived, the mere force of the wind from it made it impossible for him to open his eyes. His bones creaked, and he felt the urge to fall to his knees.
Zhao Wei’s face changed drastically, a hint of terror in his eyes, but his expression was not one of utter panic. He hastily pulled out an ancient-looking Array Disc and infused it with Profound Qi.
A brilliant, rainbow-colored light suddenly burst from the Array Disc, erupting with a powerful aura.
Zhao Wei tossed it casually. The Array Disc hit the ground, and a hazy, iridescent light shone. A complex array pattern emerged from under Zhao Wei’s feet and instantly formed a transparent shield, enveloping him completely.
BANG!
The black-robed leader’s full-power strike, like a clap of thunder, crashed down upon the light shield. It let out a massive roar and the shield trembled, but it surprisingly did not break. Instead, the force of the rebound sent the black-robed man flying backward; he landed and took several steps back.
The black-robed man’s pupils shrank, and a look of horror appeared on his face. ’What kind of Array Disc did he just throw? It actually blocked a full-power strike from a First Layer Martial Sect like me!’
In the distance, Ye Xuan’s eyes lit up as he murmured, "A Fifth-level Defensive Array—the Five Elements Earth Formation!"
Sima Xuanyu and the others felt their hearts settle. They hadn’t expected the Eighth Prince to possess such a terrifying Array. With this, the Eighth Prince would be safe.
The black-robed man’s eyes were savage. "A mere Array thinks it can stop me? Break for me!"
With a low shout, the star rings on his ghoul-faced Martial Soul pulsed rapidly. A terrifying black aura coiled around his right hand, and he then smashed it violently against the light shield of the Array.
KRA-BOOM!
The light shield vibrated, rippling like water. It dented only slightly before returning to normal.
Zhao Wei shouted coldly, "Sir, my Five Elements Earth Formation is a Fifth-level Array! With your strength, it’s impossible to break through. Why haven’t you left yet!"
To be honest, Zhao Wei’s heart was still pounding with fear. His father, the King, had gifted him this Five Elements Earth Formation for protection after the incident with Ye Xuan.
He just never expected to have to use it so soon. If it weren’t for this Array, that last attack would have decapitated him, leaving his corpse on the street.
